# Feel a prick at the back of your neck? - Now it makes sense! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 4, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506 "2004-07-04T17:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/1 "2004-07-04T17:11:00Z")
[Scientists have found evidence to suggest we do have a sixth sense and can tell when we are being watched](http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/printerfriendly.jsp?sectionid=1260&storyid=1561944) > [@](#): > > IF you have ever felt that someone is watching you, sending prickles up your neck, it might not have been just your imagination. Scientists have found evidence to suggest we do have a sixth sense and can tell when we are being watched, even through CCTV. This shows humans could have paranormal powers, say researchers at Germany’s Freiberg University. > > Dr Stefan Schmidt and his team carried out two experiments a thousand times and believe they have finally proved the reality of the sixth sense. The first, called “remote staring”, consisted of a volunteer in a sealed room watching a second volunteer in another room via CCTV. The second volunteer was hooked up to electrodes which recorded the “prickle” or electrical activity of the skin. This was compared when the volunteer was or was not being watched. > > In the second experiment, called “direct mental interaction”, the first volunteer concentrated on making the second feel uncomfortable or relaxed from within the sealed cell. The German team used a complex statistical scale to grade the studies according to reliability and paranormal effect recorded. > > In other experiments, the starer tried to make the other feel either uncomfortable or relaxed. Again, the electronic monitor proved repeatedly that it could be done. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/2 "2004-07-04T17:18:51Z")
Wherein lies the general question? ---
**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:** [July 4, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/3 "2004-07-04T17:18:54Z")
No. Oh, sorry, what was the question again? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/4 "2004-07-04T17:22:38Z")
Upon peer review, the evidence is unconvincing! “In the British Journal of Psychology, Dr Schmidt noted that the data was ambiguous but found that ‘for both data sets there is a small but significant effect’. " While the findings will please believers in the paranormal, they are not enough to convince the sceptics.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/5 "2004-07-04T17:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Feel a prick at the back of your neck? - Now it makes sense! Yep, you’re in a porn video. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/6 "2004-07-04T17:37:02Z")
> [@Wikkit](#): > > Wherein lies the general question? Sorry… Is there any other scientific proof that this is an empirically verifiable phenomenom? It seems like a pretty simple experiment to set up and verify. ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/7 "2004-07-04T18:04:51Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Yep, you’re in a porn video. Damn it, beat me to it. I guess I’ll go with, “Boss is looking over your shoulder again.” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/8 "2004-07-04T18:06:31Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Sorry… > > Is there any other scientific proof that this is an empirically verifiable phenomenom? It seems like a pretty simple experiment to set up and verify. From the abstract of the journal itself: > [@](#): > > Abstract: Findings in parapsychology suggest an effect of distant intentionality. Two laboratory set-ups explored this topic by measuring the effect of a distant intention on psychophysiological variables. The ‘Direct Mental Interaction in Living Systems’ experiment investigates the effect of various intentions on the electrodermal activity of a remote subject. The ‘Remote Staring’ experiment examines whether gazing by an observer covaries with the electrodermal activity of the person being observed. Two meta-analyses were conducted. A small significant effect size (d =.11, p = .001) was found in 36 studies on ‘direct mental interaction’, while a best-evidence-synthesis of 7 studies yielded d = .05 (p = .50). In 15 remote staring studies a mean effect size of d = 0.13 (p = .01) was obtained. **It is concluded that there are hints of an effect, but also a shortage of independent replications and theoretical concepts.** Note\* bolding mine–sc Given the final sentence in the abstract, it’s almost hard for me to believe that it got published. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/9 "2004-07-04T18:08:40Z")
> [@SlyFrog](#): > > Damn it, beat me to it. I guess I’ll go with, “Boss is looking over your shoulder again.” So–your “boss” is kinda kinky, is he? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/10 "2004-07-04T18:47:12Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Upon peer review, the evidence is unconvincing! > “In the British Journal of Psychology, Dr Schmidt noted that the data was ambiguous but found that ‘for both data sets there is a small but significant effect’. " > While the findings will please believers in the paranormal, they are not enough to convince the sceptics.” Ambiguous but significant? That usually means bupkis!! :wally ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/11 "2004-07-04T18:52:02Z")
There have been plenty of studies like this one. None have ever found evidence of such a sixth sense. Why would this study be different? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/12 "2004-07-04T23:12:30Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Feel a prick at the back of your neck? It probably means you’re facing the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-a-prick-at-the-back-of-your-neck-now-it-makes-sense/253506/13 "2004-07-04T23:48:58Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It probably means you’re facing the wrong way. Depends on what “wrong” is.