Hypothesis: The electrophysiological basis of evil eye belief

Anthropology of Consciousness 21 (1):47-57 (2010)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The sense of being stared at is the basis of evil eye beliefs, which are regarded as superstitions because the emission of any form of energy from the human eye has been rejected by Western science. However, brainwaves in the 1–40 Hertz, 1–10 microvolt range emitted through the eye can be detected using a high-impedance electrode housed inside electromagnetically insulated goggles. This signal, which the author calls “human ocular extramission,” is physiologically active and has distinct electrophysiological properties from simultaneous brainwave recordings over the forehead. Western science's rejection of evil eye beliefs may be based on an erroneous rejection of a widespread component of human consciousness, the sense of being stared at, which may in turn be based on a real electrophysiological signal. The author proposes a series of future studies designed to determine whether human ocular extramission is the basis of evil eye beliefs

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 100,865

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Caught by the evil eye : nonconscious information processing, emotion, and attention to facial stimuli.Daniel Lundqvist & Arne Öhman - 2005 - In Lisa Feldman Barrett, Paula M. Niedenthal & Piotr Winkielman (eds.), Emotion and Consciousness. New York: Guilford Press. pp. 97.
Envy and the Evil Eye Among Slovak‐Americans: An Essay in the Psychological Ontogeny of Belief and Ritual.Howard F. Stein - 1974 - Ethos: Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology 2 (1):15-46.
Balor with the Evil Eye.Marbury B. Ogle & Alexander Haggerty Krappe - 1928 - American Journal of Philology 49 (3):296.

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-03-05

Downloads
88 (#237,781)

6 months
11 (#338,628)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

What is Life.E. Schrodincer - forthcoming - Mind and Matter.
What is Life?A. Cornelius Benjamin - 1948 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 8 (3):481-483.
The Philosophy of Science.Stephen Toulmin - 1954 - Mind 63 (251):403-412.

Add more references