Are there ‘positive’ effects of paranormal experiences?
The findings suggest interpretation matters more than the event itself, with 51% reporting positive long-term effects and 57% saying they were awake and alert.
- On August 5, 2026, researchers led by Ronald Fischer of the Instituto D'Or de Pesquisa e Ensino in Sao Paulo published findings in PLOS One showing 51% of participants reported positive long-term effects from non-ordinary experiences.
- Utilizing a newly validated 47-item Inventory of Nonordinary Experiences, the team surveyed 5,117 adults to separate raw context from cognitive appraisal and meaning-making processes that determine psychological outcome.
- Data shows 57% of participants were awake and alert during experiences, while 39% were alone; however, 20% reported immediate negative impact and 25% noted suffering or discomfort.
- Study co-author Dr. Jorge Moll emphasized that "how a person interprets an unusual experience matters more than the experience itself" in determining distress versus meaning.
- Researchers stress that because these events share features with psychosis symptoms yet are common in healthy populations, clinicians should prioritize interpretation over pathology to reduce stigma.
41 Articles
41 Articles
Researchers Asked 5,117 People About Déjà Vu, Voices, Visions, and Other Weird Experiences
There’s a wide spectrum of experiences that a lot of people have had, and almost no one talks about. Déjà vu at the mild end, hearing a voice in an empty room somewhere in the middle, full-on visions at the other extreme. Too strange to bring up casually, too real to dismiss, and until recently, […] The post Researchers Asked 5,117 People About Déjà Vu, Voices, Visions, and Other Weird Experiences appeared first on VICE.
Many people have likely had inexplicable and mysterious experiences that are difficult to explain scientifically, such as hearing someone whispering in a place where they should be alone, feeling a strong presence of an unseen being nearby, or experiencing an out-of-body experience where only the soul leaves the body. A study has been published that surveyed over 5,000 people who have had such paranormal experiences, summarizing how people perce…
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