This world is full of wonder and mystery. There are things that some people deny, yet are true. Let’s run you through 17 weird phenomena that will have you say “Believe it or not.”
The Mandela Effect
Our memory can fail us at the best of times. However, The Mandela Effect is a collective misremembering that causes us to fill in the gaps with possible (but most likely false) information about an event. Now we all share a false memory around what truly happened. The name is inspired by people claiming that Nelson Mandela passed away in the 1980s when the date was December 5, 2013.
Ball Lightning
Because it is so rare to observe, many have denied the reality of ball lightning. Yet, statistically, its occurrence is the same as for standard lightning. What causes ball lightning is something that scientists still struggle to explain but it is considered to be the result of lightning interacting with the magnetic field of Earth.
Phantom Limb Syndrome
Some amputees will tell you that they can still feel their missing limb. They can even say they need to scratch an itch on the toe of a leg that isn’t there anymore. This is caused by the brain’s neurons having to rewire themselves after losing the sensory input from the amputated limb, Yep, your brain still thinks it’s there!
Déjà VU
Ever felt you are experiencing a familiar situation yet you know you haven’t had the experience before? Déjà Vu is caused by a hiccup in your brain’s memory centres which causes you to feel familiarity with the situation.
Placebo Effect
Here is the power of mind over matter. A lot of psychological and medical research uses this to compare the success of a therapy or drug. The placebo treatment seems real but has no real therapeutic benefit.
Consciousness
Philosophers and neuroscientists have always debated the true nature of consciousness. What causes us to be aware and is it something that resides in our spirit or is it caused by the physical neurons firing in our brain? A mystery that remains unanswered yet it is true because you are aware that you’re reading this.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy
We aren’t talking about the “dark side of the force” from Star Wars. Dark matter and energy have been proven by quantum physics. 95% of the universe is made of this stuff but we can’t see it. So how do we know dark matter exists? It can be detected by the gravitational effects it has on visible objects and matter.
Near-Death Experiences (Ndes)
For those who have experienced knocking on the door of death, similar experiences are reported. There is the tunnel of light that these people have said they are traveling through. Many report seeing and being greeted by loved ones who have passed away. A feeling of peace is another experience that those who have NDEs say they experience. Science is still exploring the factors that make up an NDE. Some say it is a neurological trick of the brain as it seeks to ease our fear of dying. Others take a more spiritual approach and say that our souls are passing over to the “other side” where we are met by our deceased loved ones and spiritual beings such as angels.
The Placebo Button Effect
Have you ever seen someone frantically press the button at a pedestrian crossing? They are thinking that by doing so it causes the light to change quicker. But it doesn’t. The whole process is an illusion in which the person who is pressing the button repeatedly believes they have influenced the outcome. No point explaining that the light system is electronically timed to change according to traffic flow.
Collective Consciousness
This is the belief that the whole of humanity is subconsciously interconnected. This leads to shared experiences and intuitive knowledge. Carl Jung was a leading figure behind the introduction of the concept of collective consciousness. It’s an idea that has garnered interest from psychologists and parapsychologists.
Synesthesia
People who have synesthesia may experience seeing color when hearing a word. They could visualize a shape when listening to music. The cause of this condition is a cross-wiring of the different sensory regions of the brain.
Tetrachromacy
This is a condition in which some people have an extra cone cell in their eye. That enables them to see around 100 million colors. The average person sees approximately 1 million colors.
Savant Syndrome
Savants are individuals who have extraordinary abilities in memory, maths, or music. Typically the condition is a result of a developmental disorder or a brain injury.
Genetic Memory
Memories are made up of personal experiences which are then stored in the neurological system of the brain. Yet, what if a memory was passed down from an ancestor through your DNA? Some studies suggest this is possible. For example, researchers published their findings on genetic memory in mice. The mice passed on their fear of a certain smell to their descendants.
Out-Of-Body Experiences (Obes)
Many people have reported separating from their body and then observing it. OBEs usually occur when one has a near/death experience or is in deep meditation.
Time Dilation
You thought time was the same for everyone? Einstein put that idea well and truly to bed with his theory of relativity. In a nutshell, he says that time passes differently for different observers. The effect of gravity as well as the speed one is travelling at can affect how quickly time passes.
Synchronicity
Synchronicity is the meaningful coincidence of events that cannot be explained by conventional causality but seem to carry a deeper connection or significance. Many people report seeing a repetition of numbers throughout the day such as “111”. It could be that the time is 1:11 and your grocery shopping that same day costs $111. Then you take the bus home and see it’s bus number 111. For many, it’s taken as a sign that the angels or universe is sending a message.
How Many of These Have You Encountered?
This world has a lot of mysteries that science still struggles to explain. That doesn’t take away from the reality that we all have had weird experiences. Which phenomenon in our list have you encountered?
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