Can YOU ‘hear dead people’? People who are deeply immersed in mental tasks and activities are more likely to claim that they can communicate with the deceased, the study concludes.
- Researchers at Durham University conducted a survey of 65 mediums
- More than 44 percent reported hearing voices of the dead daily
- Mediums were more likely to immerse themselves in mental activities
- They were also more likely to report hearing voices early in life
People who are prone to high levels of absorption in mental tasks and activities are more likely to claim to be able to “hear the dead,” a new study found.
Scientists have discovered the key trait in ‘clairaudient spiritualistic mediums’ who claim to be able to hear the voices of dead people.
Their results suggest that people who are prone to immersive mental activities, as well as those who were exposed to an ‘unusual listening experience’ early in life, are more likely to claim to be able to communicate with the deceased.
The team hopes the findings will help to understand more about distressing or uncontrollable experiences of hearing voices.
Scientists have discovered key characteristics in ‘clairaudient spiritualistic mediums’ who claim to be able to hear the dead (stock image)
In the study, researchers at Durham University conducted a survey of 65 mediums from the National Union of Spiritists.
More than 44 percent of respondents reported hearing voices of the dead daily, while 33.8 percent said they heard a voice on the last day.
Although spirits are heard mostly inside the head, 31.7 percent said they experienced voices from inside and outside the head.
To understand the key traits of these media, the researchers interviewed 143 members of the general public for comparison.
The results revealed that mediums were more likely to immerse themselves in mental or imaginative activities, or to experience altered states of consciousness.
Mediums were also more likely to report hearing voices early in life.
Speaking to MailOnline, Dr. Adam Powell of the Hearing the Voice project at Durham University and the Department of Theology and Religion and lead author of the study, explained: ‘Some remember seeing and hearing a deceased loved one in their own home, many times in your room at night.
“Others remember talking to other invisible people as long as they can remember.”
Spiritists reported hearing the dead for the first time at an average age of 21.7 years. However, 18 percent of spiritualists reported hearing voices ‘as long as they could remember’.
Dr. Powell said: ‘Our findings say a lot about’ learning and longing ‘.
The survey revealed that mediums who could ‘hear the dead’ were more likely to report hearing voices early in life (stock image)
“For our participants, the principles of Spiritism seem to make sense both for the extraordinary experiences of childhood and for the frequent auditory phenomena they experience as practicing mediums.
“But all of these experiences can result more from having certain initial tendencies or skills than simply believing in the possibility of contacting the dead, if we try hard enough.”
While members of the public with high absorption rates were more likely to believe in the paranormal, the team found no significant link between the belief and the tendency to hallucinate.
In 1848, two sisters from upstate New York, Maggie and Kate Fox, reported hearing ‘beats’ and ‘beats’ that they interpreted as communication from a spirit in their home. These events and these sisters would end up being considered the creators of Spiritism
Overall, the findings indicate that some people may have a unique predisposition for absorption and are more likely to report hearing the dead.
Dr. Peter Moseley, co-author of the study at Northumbria University, said: ‘Spiritists tend to report unusual hearing experiences that are positive, start early in life and are often able to control.
‘Understanding how they develop is important because it can help us understand more about distressing or uncontrollable experiences of hearing voices as well.’