# Can people really sense if someone is staring at them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 7, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682 "2003-08-07T22:54:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![menudomucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@menudomucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/menudomucho)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/81 "2003-08-10T03:32:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Each one, within just a couple minutes, started acting a little hinky then turned and looked right at me. I was well within the rear 180 deg. of each one, so they had to turn and look to see me. Mangeorge, were all three people in the same group? Did they know you were sitting there prior to you staring, and how far away were you sitting? Were there people in front of them that could have been watching you as you watched them, theyby giving you away? Or maybe a waitress when at their table looked in your direction? Is there anything that could have given you away? It’s great that you are getting out and trying to get to the bottom of this. I was at a restaurant and forgot to try. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/82 "2003-08-10T03:32:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handsomeharold \* > I once visited a “psychic” in San Francisco she was amazing she knew what I was thinking about, details about my life that she could not have known. As has been mentioned, ‘cold readers’ can do this too. See: [http://www.randi.org/library/coldreading/](http://www.randi.org/library/coldreading/) Why then is this ‘proof’ of psychic powers? Why do psychics have to ask you a lot of questions? Why don’t ‘the powers’ simply tell them all about you? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handsomeharold \* > I asked her why she didn’t use her powers to play the lottery or the stock market, she told me she couldn’t use her powers to gain large amounts of money or noteriety. Why do psychics charge for their services then? Why do they appear on Nationwide chat shows? Why are there rich notorious psychics (who refuse to be scientifically tested)? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handsomeharold \* > She also mentioned that many prominent “psychics” are actually fakers and frauds. Indeed there are. Did she tell you how she knows this?! Given that she states there are many fakers + frauds in the field, and that all psychics use exactly the same ‘endless guesses’ techniques as cold readers, can you put 2+2 together?! ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/83 "2003-08-10T03:38:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > More data. I mean _anecdotes_; > I just got back from my favorite cafe, where I experimented on three people. Two older guys and an attractive twenty-or-so young woman. I watched each one in turn for a few minutes, and the results were pretty interesting. Each one, within just a couple minutes, started acting a little hinky then turned and looked right at me. I was well within the rear 180 deg. of each one, so they had to turn and look to see me. > I stopped playing and resumed reading _Apt Pupil_. 🙂 [ Wow! Super! You’re going to be a millionaire!! ‘At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event.’ > **[Home](https://web.randi.org)** > > JREF So when are you going to pick up the money? … You’re not going to apply? … But simply repeating your demonstration above a few times (with a few simple scientific safeguards) would satisfy every condition for the money? … Oh - even you don’t believe it yourself. OK. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/84 "2003-08-10T04:38:51Z")
I picked them because they were alone, they were 10 - 20 feet away from me, no servers except that they bring your food to you, and I didn’t actually stare, I just casually watched them. Something obviuosly gave me away, they _did_ turn and look right at me. I can’t say what, though. This is a pretty noisy place, with busy traffic going by and all. No mirrored walls or anything that obvious. **glee** , why are you such a smartass? I didn’t make any claim for special powers. I simply stated some facts. Data, as it were. If that doesn’t fit within your prejudices, that’s your problem. Maybe you need to get out more? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![SkyBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@SkyBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyBum)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/85 "2003-08-10T06:17:27Z")
I don’t know exactly what it is about the cross section of members on this board but I sense a definite skew toward skepticism of any paranormal / conspiritorial / altered view of what is commonly accepted as fact. I don’t necessarily embrace the paranormal etc. as fact, however I do like to entertain these possibilities simply because they are so much more interesting to contemplate than the mundaneness of ordinary everyday life. Why is it that some people so vehemently reject any notion of something that defies a rational or scientific explanation? To the point of not even being able to entertain a possibility for the sake of discussion? A “what if” attitude can yield some very interesting discussions but many people seem to be unwilling / unable to participate beyond adamant demands that there is no room for speculation even just for the sake of an interesting discussion. I pity the poor fool who once suggested that the earth might possibly be \* round. \* If only he would have had a cite handy to back up his claims, he might have been spared a great deal of embarassment for his extremely odd perception of reality. An open mind is a precious commodity in my opinion, but there are many who seem to be unable to consider little beyond the realm of what can be backed up with a reliable cite. No offense intended to any of the participants in this thread, I just wanted to share my 2 sense. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/86 "2003-08-10T06:50:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SkyBum \* > **I don’t know exactly what it is about the cross section of members on this board but I sense a definite skew toward skepticism of any paranormal / conspiritorial / altered view of what is commonly accepted as fact. I don’t necessarily embrace the paranormal etc. as fact, however I do like to entertain these possibilities simply because they are so much more interesting to contemplate than the mundaneness of ordinary everyday life.** While such things may be more interesting, that doesn’t make them real. With no known mechanism through which such things can be expected to work, there is little reason to leave open the possibility that they might. But, I am certainly not close-minded to the idea, should someone demonstrate via a meaningful and properly-conducted experiment, that such things can occur. The fact that $1 million has remained unclaimed all these years is quite telling IMO. Not one single reputable and repeatable study has ever been conducted which demonstrates _any_ paranormal abilities, and I challenge you, or anyone else, to find one. ---
**Author:** ![SkyBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@SkyBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyBum)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/87 "2003-08-10T07:13:16Z")
Of course it doesn’t make them real. I was merely remarking on the reluctance of many people to \* consider \* the possibility. My interest is not in convincing anyone of anything. I find the behavior of people as interesting as I do the concept of the paranormal… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/88 "2003-08-10T07:20:07Z")
Well, as I said, I’ll consider the possibility as soon as I see some real evidence. I’d wager any other skeptic will say the same. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/89 "2003-08-10T07:36:23Z")
not to side with them or anything, but the definition of paranormal is Main Entry: para·nor·mal Pronunciation: “par-&-'nor-m&l, 'par-&-” Function: adjective Date: circa 1920 : not scientifically explainable : SUPERNATURAL wouldn’t that make the randi’s paranormal challenge technically impossible? magic is what we don’t understand scientifically, once we understand it won’t be labelled as magic… say some scientist discovered how telepathy works, can he claim the prize? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/90 "2003-08-10T07:47:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shijinn \* > \*\*not to side with them or anything, but the definition of paranormal is > > Main Entry: para·nor·mal > Pronunciation: “par-&-'nor-m&l, 'par-&-” > Function: adjective > Date: circa 1920 > : not scientifically explainable : SUPERNATURAL > > wouldn’t that make the randi’s paranormal challenge technically impossible? magic is what we don’t understand scientifically, once we understand it won’t be labelled as magic… > > say some scientist discovered how telepathy works, can he claim the prize? \*\* Well, no. Even though, at this point, we cannot provide a scientific explanation for, say, psychic minreading ability, if someone should accept and pass the JREF $1 million challenge, we would most certainly have to begin looking for such an explanation. The definition of “paranormal” would be better off reading “not _currently_ scientifically explainable.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/91 "2003-08-10T07:48:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shijinn \* > \*\*say some scientist discovered how telepathy works, can he claim the prize? \*\* And to address this part, which I overlooked…yes. But no one has, to date. ---
**Author:** ![DaveW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DaveW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveW)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/92 "2003-08-10T07:56:49Z")
**SkyBum** wrote: > [@](#): > > I don’t know exactly what it is about the cross section of members on this board but I sense a definite skew toward skepticism of any paranormal / conspiritorial / altered view of what is commonly accepted as fact. You’re kidding, right? This is the _Straight Dope_ Message Board, after all, and the _General Questions_ forum (where questions which can be _factually_ answered should be asked). The overwhelming _lack_ of evidence of paranormal abilities, or vast conspiracies, or “altered” views shows that they are, most-likely, not the “Straight Dope.” How long does one need to look for a wild unicorn before deciding that they _probably_ don’t exist? > [@](#): > > I don’t necessarily embrace the paranormal etc. as fact, however I do like to entertain these possibilities simply because they are so much more interesting to contemplate than the mundaneness of ordinary everyday life. Reality is actually fascinating to some people. The immensity ability of human brains, for example, to take really low-level stimuli and transform them into a sense that someone is standing outside our visual area is utterly amazing. That you think this and other rational explanations of the effect in question to be “mundane” or uninteresting is indicative of a lack of knowledge of just how much has to go on in the brain in such a situation. Contemplating psychic abilities pales in comparison, since “being psychic” would be so much _easier_. All you need is a “brain wave” receptor somewhere in the gray matter, and you’re done. How utterly boring. > [@](#): > > An open mind is a precious commodity in my opinion… A very wise person once said something to the effect of, “keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.” If you consider all explanations of an event to be equally possible, those around you won’t consider you to be open minded, but instead to be gullible. And since nobody has mentioned it yet directly, I feel a big part of the “I know when someone is staring at me” phenomenon is this: person A senses, through whatever “mundane” means, that person B is where they are. Person A then turns their head to look and make sure that what they sense is correct, since (in an evolutionary sense) person B might be a threat. Person B notices, through peripheral vision, that person A is moving, and (in an evolutionary response), looks at person A to make sure they’re not becoming a threat. Person A therefore turns and finds person B “staring” at them, even though person B was looking in a different direction just milliseconds beforehand. They lock eyes, and an awkward moment happens. No big deal, except person A walks away from the encounter thinking that person B was staring at them, when nothing of the sort was going on. Under controlled situations, when person A was being tested as to whether or not he/she could detect being stared at, and could not turn around to look at person B, this “ability” should be expected to vanish, and that’s precisely what happens, according to the best available evidence. Oh, also: **shijinn** wrote: > [@](#): > > say some scientist discovered how telepathy works, can he claim the prize Randi doesn’t care _how_ telepathy works. For the million bucks, all you need to demonstrate is _that_ telepathy works. In other words, if you can telepathically send a message from person A to person B repeatedly and reliably under scientific scrutiny, you’ll get the money. _How_ it is done doesn’t matter, but if a scientist were to discover _how_ telepathy works, it seems obvious he/she should be able to show that such an ability exists to begin with, no? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/93 "2003-08-10T10:38:37Z")
Ok, I’ ve read this thread, and I expected to find a comment or two about the recent article in the Canadian online Globe and Mail; their feature writer was very impressed with the methodology of one Rupert Sheldrake, who seems to have convinced her that he is on to something; [http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030809/FCSHEL/TPScience/](http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030809/FCSHEL/TPScience/) > [@](#): > > On several occasions, the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), the largest skeptical organization in the world, has attempted to refute his research by carrying out its own experiments. > “Their results were identical,” Mr. Sheldrake says, smiling smugly. “They actually replicated the phenomenon.” That is news to me; For what it is worth, here is Mr Sheldrake’s home page [http://www.sheldrake.org/](http://www.sheldrake.org/) and an article or two about him and the whole phenomenon. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/115082\_stare01.shtml](http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/115082_stare01.shtml) [http://www.theherald.co.uk/living/archive/16-5-19103-21-13-47.html](http://www.theherald.co.uk/living/archive/16-5-19103-21-13-47.html) and a skeptical (or is it sceptical ?) look at Sheldrake’s ‘research’ here: [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20030625-9999\_1c25singular.html](http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20030625-9999_1c25singular.html) I am surprised this didn’t come up in this thread, by the way; however Sheldrake doewsn’t move me to believe in the phenomenon one bit; I have more faith in the power of Confirmation Bias and Self-Serving Bias to fool the subjective mind. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/94 "2003-08-10T12:24:17Z")
Well, it seems that one of Sheldrakes claims is contradicted by the CSICOP link supplied by **QED** ; > [@](#): > > On several occasions, the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), the largest skeptical organization in the world, has attempted to refute his research by carrying out its own experiments. > > “Their results were identical,” Mr. Sheldrake says, smiling smugly. “They actually replicated the phenomenon.” My appalling skill at english language comprehension in these matters must have failed me once again. The CSICOP site seems to say the exact opposite; [http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-03/stare.html](http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-03/stare.html) > [@](#): > > None of the fifty subjects were able to accurately guess all of the times that they were being stared at by the two experimenters. Eighteen of the fifty subjects did correctly guess two of the five-minute periods during their twenty-minute session. Seventeen subjects correctly guessed only one of the five-minute sessions and eleven were not able to guess any of the five. Only four of the subjects correctly guessed three of the five correctly. The mean accuracy for the group of fifty was 1.24 with an standard deviation of .91. A score of 1.25 would be expected by chance alone for each twenty minute trial, i.e., 1/435 or 1.25. With this outcome the usual statistical tests are irrelevant; there’s no way that these particular results could ever approach statistical significance. > > Since the four subjects who exceeded chance by correctly guessing three out of the five one-minute periods in which they were being stared at might well be “psi stars” or “psychically gifted,” each of these four subjects was retested under the same experimental conditions three separate times. None of the four accurately identified more than one one-minute period in which they were being stared at. The mean retest score for all three retest sessions for the four “stars” was .025 for each session-less than chance. The mean of their original score plus the three retest scores was used in the distribution. So even the group labelled ‘psi stars’ could not produce consistent results; this is entirely consistent with chance. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@handsomeharold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharold)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/95 "2003-08-10T12:53:29Z")
Or even people who claim to have seen a fiery rock fall from the sky. www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF8/805.html ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/96 "2003-08-10T13:11:28Z")
HH you need to meet this guy named Lekatt, I bet such a union would spark a wonderful relationship. ---
**Author:** ![menudomucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@menudomucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/menudomucho)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/97 "2003-08-10T15:32:28Z")
For me, skepticism came with age. When I was a child, I used to believe in all of the paranormal: ghosts, Loch Ness monster, telepathy, alien abductions, God. There never was any “aha” moment when I began to see things differently, so aging must have done it. Becoming a young adult made the world seem smaller and the search for understanding how its works began to rule out the fantastical. It is sad that the pure open-mindedness of childhood has to fade away, but all of the energy daydreaming about whether there are monsters has to be applied to a new set of adult concerns. And this doesn’t mean that I don’t have free daydreaming or imagine fantastical things, it’s just that I know all of it exists in my fantasy not as a part of the world. The skeptic looks at the world through a filter of their beliefs much like anybody else, say a person that believes in God. They can be open-minded to almost anything, but ultimately information is judged against what they currently believe to be true. In the skeptic’s case it is how things can be explained through science or practical means. They acknowledge life’s mysteries but also try to solve them. I don’t deny the “psychic staring” as a phenomenon, but I believe there is a logical explanation for it. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/98 "2003-08-10T16:16:44Z")
How could a skeptic claim a belief in god? Sensing the attention of another person would be child’s play for some characters of the bible. Religion _IS_ magic. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/99 "2003-08-10T17:00:51Z")
\*\*mangeorge \*\*, I cannot work out if your “experiment” and your “defence” of your “experiment” ain’t just one big _whoooosh_, but one specific thing that is missing, that makes your “data” uninterpretable (read _meaningless_), is the lack of a control. When come back bring interpretable data. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682/100 "2003-08-10T17:23:42Z")
The OP asks; “Can people really sense if someone is staring at them?” Note the word “sense”, **TGU**. It isn’t limited to the paranormal or the physical. So my real world observations, which don’t rule out either, do carry weight. Control would have only interferred with my experiment. Did I address your comments? I tried to interpret your post as best I could. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-really-sense-if-someone-is-staring-at-them/193682.md?page=6)