The feeling of a presence and verbal meaningfulness in context of temporal lobe function: factor analytic verification of the muses?
M A Persinger, K Makarec
Brain and Cognition November 1, 1992 DOI: 10.1016/0278-2626(92)90016-f (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey with factor analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 868 |
| Population | 348 men and 520 women reporting phenomenological experiences |
| Keywords | Amygdala Hippocampus Temporal lobe Neural pathways Humans Electroencephalography Delusions Verbal behavior Parapsychology Arousal Attention Personality inventory Writing Adolescent Adult Middle aged Female Creativity |
| Key findings | Factor analyses of 12 clusters of phenomenological experiences from 348 men and 520 women supported the hypothesis that the feeling of a presence, particularly during profound verbal creativity, is an endemic cognitive phenomenon. The authors propose that intense meaningfulness, likely tied to enhanced burst-firing in the left hippocampal-amygdaloid complex and temporal lobe, allows access to nonverbal right-hemispheric representations of the self that are perceived as 'a presence.' |
Abstract
We hypothesized that the feeling of a presence, particularly during periods of profound verbal creativity (reading or writing prose or poetry), is an endemic cognitive phenomenon. Factor analyses of 12 clusters of phenomenological experiences from 348 men and 520 women supported the hypothesis. We conclude that periods of intense meaningfulness (a likely correlate of enhanced burst-firing in the left hippocampal-amygdaloid complex and temporal lobe) allow access to nonverbal representations that are the right hemispheric equivalents of the sense of self; they are perceived as "a presence." The relevance of our results to the theories of Jaynes, Bear, Edelman, and MacLean is discussed.
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Vectorial Cerebral Hemisphericity as Differential Sources for the Sensed Presence, Mystical Experiences and Religious Conversions Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1993
- Potential production of Hughlings Jackson's “parasitic consciousness” by physiologically-patterned weak transcerebral magnetic fields: QEEG and source localization Epilepsy & Behavior July 17, 2013
- Enhanced Incidence of “The Sensed Presence” in People Who Have Learned to Meditate: Support for the Right Hemispheric Intrusion Hypothesis Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1992
- Experimental Elicitation of an Out of Body Experience and Concomitant Cross-Hemispheric Electroencephalographic Coherence NeuroQuantology June 25, 2010
- Enhanced power within the default mode network in normal subjects with elevated scores on an egocentric scale. The open neuroimaging journal November 19, 2014
and 2 more in the library