Telepathy's Roots: Is Your Personality Key?
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Who believes in the paranormal: control freaks or go-with-the-flow types?
Imagine you're at a party where someone confidently predicts who will call next, while another person avoids walking under ladders at all costs. What makes some people embrace paranormal beliefs while others dismiss them entirely? Researchers decided to peek into the personalities behind these beliefs, surveying 81 university students about everything from psychic phenomena to superstitions, then mapping these beliefs against two key personality traits: how much control people feel they have over their lives, and how much they crave exciting experiences. What they discovered challenges some assumptions about who believes what.
People who feel life controls them are more likely to believe in precognition.
In 1998, researchers wondered whether believing in ESP, ghosts, and superstitions might be linked to how much control people feel they have over their lives. They recruited 81 undergraduate students to explore these connections. Because the participants were university students in a Western educational setting, the results may not apply to people from different cultures or age groups.
People who feel less control over their lives are more likely to believe in paranormal phenomena, but surprisingly, superstitious beliefs follow the opposite pattern.
Key Findings
- Students who felt that luck, fate, or powerful others controlled their lives were more likely to believe in paranormal phenomena, especially precognition and spiritual beliefs.
- Surprisingly, those who believed in superstitions actually felt more in control of their lives, not less.
- Thrill-seekers were more likely to believe specifically in ESP and superstitions, but not paranormal beliefs overall.
What Is This About?
The researchers gave 81 college students three questionnaires. One asked about beliefs in things like ESP, ghosts, and superstitions. Another measured whether people feel they control their own lives or that outside forces control them—this is called "locus of control." The third asked about thrill-seeking behaviors and preferences for exciting experiences. Then they looked for patterns connecting these personality traits to belief levels.
Survey of 81 undergraduates using three standardized questionnaires to measure paranormal beliefs, locus of control (whether people feel they control their own lives versus external forces), and sensation seeking.
Found that feeling controlled by external forces correlated with stronger paranormal beliefs, especially spirituality and precognition; surprisingly, superstitious beliefs correlated with feeling internally in control; sensation seeking linked to specific belief subscales but not overall belief.
How Good Is the Evidence?
81 students—about the size of two average classrooms. This is a small sample typical for psychology studies of this era, but too small to reliably detect subtle personality differences or replicate across different populations.
Supporters of parapsychology might say this helps identify who is open to anomalous experiences, suggesting personality predispositions matter for psi receptivity. Skeptics argue this confirms that paranormal beliefs are psychological coping mechanisms for those who feel powerless, not evidence of real phenomena. Both agree that personality correlates with belief systems, but disagree on whether these beliefs reflect reality or psychological needs.
Mainstream: Paranormal beliefs are psychological constructs related to control needs and personality traits, with no implication for the reality of such phenomena. Moderate: Certain personality types are more open to anomalous experiences or more likely to interpret ambiguous events as paranormal. Frontier: Personality structures may actually influence the ability to perceive or interact with psi phenomena, suggesting mind-matter connections.
Many assume that believing in superstitions means feeling out of control, but this study found the opposite—superstitious believers actually felt more internally controlled. Also crucial: this study measured beliefs and personality traits, not whether paranormal phenomena actually exist.
To establish that personality causes paranormal belief rather than just correlating with it, we would need long-term studies following people from childhood before they formed such beliefs, or experimental studies manipulating control perceptions and measuring subsequent belief changes. This study meets the criteria for identifying associations but cannot establish causation or address whether paranormal phenomena are real.
Results indicated that a greater external locus of control was associated with greater overall number of paranormal beliefs.
Stance: Mixed
What Does It Mean?
The most surprising twist? People who believe in superstitions actually feel MORE in control of their lives, completely flipping expectations about paranormal belief being linked to helplessness.
It's like noticing that the friend who always says "everything happens for a reason" tends to be the same one who feels swept along by life circumstances, while the friend who knocks on wood for good luck paradoxically feels they're steering their own ship.
If these patterns hold up in larger studies, they could reshape how we understand the psychology of belief formation. This might suggest that paranormal beliefs aren't simply about being 'gullible' or 'rational,' but rather reflect deeper personality-driven needs for control, meaning, or stimulation. Such insights could inform everything from therapeutic approaches to understanding how people process uncertainty in an increasingly complex world.
Correlation does not mean causation—just because two things occur together (like external control and paranormal belief) doesn't mean one causes the other; both could be caused by a third factor like life experiences or cultural background.
Understanding Terms
What This Study Claims
Findings
While overall sensation seeking was not related to overall paranormal belief, specific subscales of psi phenomena and superstition were associated with higher sensation seeking.
weakContrary to expectations, belief in superstition was associated with a greater internal locus of control.
weakGreater external locus of control was especially associated with beliefs in spirituality and precognition subscales.
weakA greater external locus of control was associated with greater overall number of paranormal beliefs.
weakLimitations
This study examined personality correlates of paranormal belief rather than testing whether paranormal phenomena actually occur.
inconclusiveThis summary is for general information about current research. It does not constitute medical advice. The scientific interpretation of these results is debated among researchers. If personally affected, please consult qualified professionals.