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6th Sense Experiments
by Ron Kurtus (updated 18 May 2023)
It is easy to verify our normal 5 senses by simply using them. The 6th sense—being able to sense future or distant events—is much more difficult to verify since it is a very weak sense that is also unpredictable.
There are some experiments you can perform to test your 6th sense abilities and to try to verify that is actually exists.
Questions you may have include:
- Why is verification of the 6th sense difficult?
- What are some experiments you can try?
- What are some important factors in these experiments?
This lesson will answer those questions.
Verification difficult
If the 6th sense actually exists—and there are many scientists who do not think it exists—there must be a way to verify we have such a sense. For example, you can verify that people have a sense of hearing by simply making a noise and having them verify that they heard it.
One of the biggest drawbacks in studying the 6th sense is that is seems to work the best when you aren't trying, and the harder you try to use it, the less the 6th sense seems to work. Also, the 6th sense seems to be a very weak sense that has not been developed in humans. In fact, some animals seem to have a stronger 6th sense than humans.
Note that in trying to verify the sense of hearing, you could make a very high-pitched sound or very low-amplitude sound that was beyond the person's hearing range. If that was your experiment, you might conclude that there was no such thing as a sense of hearing or that only some animals--like dogs--had that sense.
This is the same problem in trying to verify the 6th sense. We are dealing with time or some unknown energy form. We don't know the range or properties of whatever it is that we can sense.
Experiments to try
There are a number of experiments you can try to see how sensitive your 6th sense it. Your objective in these experiments should be to verify that you or someone else can predict a future event or something that happens at a distance. Also, you should note your feelings, so that you can repeat and even control this sense.
Experiments include:
- Predicting the result of a coin flip
- Sensing someone staring behind your back
- Feeling the result of a solitaire game
Flipping a coin
When you flip a coin, it will come up heads 50% of the time and tails 50% of the time. Sometimes, there may be runs of one side coming up more than the other, but with enough flips, it will average out to 50-50.
An easy experiment is to try to predict whether the coin will come up heads or tails. Keep a record of you results. Try to get yourself in a state of mind where you aren't really trying. Sometimes you will get a feeling for a short time that you know what it will be. Try to remember that feeling and duplicate it.
This can be a frustrating experiment, because nothing seems to happen. That is usually because the person is trying too hard.
Also, this experiment is used by people trying to show they have mental powers that can control events and can "force" the coin to fall the way they want. Our experiment simple concerns sensing what will happen.
Staring behind the back
Sometimes you get the feeling that someone is looking at you from behind. Surveys show that about 90% of the population has experienced being stared at and have turned around.
Staring at unsuspecting person
You can try this on unsuspecting people to see if they sense something and then turn around. Although this can be fun, you must be careful that the person does not get angry at you.
One problem with this experiment is that the person may use his or her other senses to detect someone is staring. They may notice someone else looking at the person staring, or they may hear subtle sounds to indicate something is going on behind their back.
Controlled experiment
A better method is to perform a controlled experiment. Have the subject blindfolded with you behind him or her. Flip a coin to tell whether you will stare or look away. Have the person indicate whether or not you are staring. Keep track of the results.
A variation of this experiment is to look at a photograph of the person and have him or her tell if you are looking at it.
The problem with either of these staring experiments is that the subject is trying to use his or her 6th sense to indicate that an event is or will occur. The 6th sense seems to work the best when not trying.
Playing solitaire
I often relax before doing something on the computer by playing a game or two of solitaire that is included with Windows. I use the Standard scoring, draw 3, Status bar options set from the menu at Game > Options so that the games are scored and last just long enough.
Occasionally I win a game. What I have noticed is that when I get good scores or win games—sometimes several in a row—I have a certain feeling that I will do well. Sometimes I can almost control that feeling in order to get a good score.
Note that I am not really trying hard to win, rather I am doing it for fun. I'm trying to do well, but not really trying to excel. It seems that the first few games in the morning are usually low-scoring until I get "warmed-up" a little later in the day.
You can experiment by playing this game and keeping statistics of your results. Also note your mental state and how it affects the results.
Things to remember
When performing any sort of experiments, you should be careful about unknown factors creeping in.
Sensing subtle signals
There is the famous story about the horse that could do addition and multiplication by stomping its foot a number of times according to the answer. It ended up that the training subconsciously nodded his head slightly as the horse counted off the answer. The horse really was observing the trainer's body language to tell how long to keep stomping.
Another example is how some magicians have been able to tell what cards a person is looking at by focusing on reflections from the person's eyeballs. It appears as if the magician can read the person's mind, but in reality, he is skilled at reading other signals.
These examples show that hidden factors can distort the results. Sometimes sensing subtle signals through the other senses can make it look like the 6th sense is being used.
Keep records
With the 6th sense, you are trying to predict the future or something that is happening at a distance. Don't mix other factors. Also, remember that the 6th sense seems to work best when the subject is not really trying.
Keep statistics of your successes and failures. And try to remember how you felt in the successful efforts, so that you may be able to repeat using your 6th sense again.
Summary
Verification of the 6th sense is difficult because it is a very weak sense and seems unpredictable. Also, we know little about the energy involved in time.
Experiments you can try include flipping a coin, sensing staring at a person, and playing solitaire. You must be careful that other factors don't distort the results of your experiments. Finally, try to remember how you felt, so you can possibly repeat using your 6th sense.
Be open-minded about all possibilities
Resources and references
Web sites
Precognition - Perception of the future
Premonition - Warning of future event
Intuition: Precognition and Information from the Future - Studies from Princeton University
ESP (extrasensory perception) - From the Sceptic's Dictionary
Books
(Notice: The School for Champions may earn commissions from book purchases)
Top-rated books on Precognition
Students and researchers
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6th_experiments.htm
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Sixth Sense Experiments