[thedoc]

Lately I've been getting a strong feeling when I think something specific is going to happen. Some things are small and irrelevant and some things are quite overwhelming. For example, I was doing my hair for school one morning and had a feeling that my best friend was going to do the exact same hairstyle... and so she did. Is this normal or is there an explanation?
Asked by Paige Russell


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[chapter podcast=1001045 track=15.05.19/Naked_Scientists_Show_15.05.19_1003669.mp3]  ...or Listen to the Answer[/chapter] or [download as MP3]

[Georgia]

Hi Paige,

Yes there is an explanation for this. A lot of people wonder if they have a 'sense' for the future, but what we as humans are REALLY good at is spotting connections and noticing coincidences. A common example is when you think of a friend and that very day they ring you up. Very spooky, but less so when you think about all the hundreds of times you think of someone and they don't call - these times won't stick in your memory because, well, they're pretty dull.

There's an interview with Prof David Spiegelhalter about the science behind 'spooky coincidences' here: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1000984/ [nofollow]