Out-of-body experience favors emotional memory consolidation
Ψυχολογία: το Περιοδικό της Ελληνικής Ψυχολογικής Εταιρείας July 25, 2022 Konstantinos Christos Daoultzis, Sophie Alida Bogemann, Yoshiyuki Onuki et al.
Out-of-body experiences (OBE) improve emotional memory consolidation and cause a rise in skin temperature, supporting embodied cognition theory. In the experiment, participants viewed neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant images before an OBE was induced, then completed a recognition memory test. Neck and hand skin temperature were measured throughout. Those who experienced OBE showed better memory for emotional pictures and increased skin temperature, contrary to earlier findings that OBE impairs memory and lowers temperature. The authors suggest these results align with Anderson's (2003) embodied cognition framework, but note future work should rule out baseline memory differences or alternative causes for the temperature increase.