Prayer and telepathy linked

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 1995

People who pray frequently are more likely to say they have personally experienced telepathy, a study by William MacDonald, assistant professor of sociology, Ohio State University, reveals. "In one sense, the results aren't surprising. You can think of prayer as a type of mind-to-mind communication between a person and God. So prayer and telepathy are related concepts." Telepathy is the ability to "read" someone's thoughts or transmit your own without speaking or otherwise communicating.

He found that the social and cultural factors associated with telepathy were different from those related to clairvoyance - the ability to sense events that are occurring far away, or even before they happen. For example, while frequency of prayer, gender, and education predicted the odds of reporting telepathy, they were not associated with clairvoyance. Other results showed that: * Those who were financially dissatisfied were more likely to report clairvoyance. This fits a sociological theory that claims that individuals who are undergoing personal stress - such as monetary problems - look for coping mechanisms. "Perhaps clairvoyance gives people who don't feel successful in achieving their goals more of a sense of control and power over their lives."

Why weren't those with financial woes more likely to report telepathy? MacDonald believes that telepathy is more of a "mainstream" type of paranormal experience than clairvoyance. Many people, with and without monetary problems, are likely to believe they can communicate mind-to-mind with others. * African-Americans were twice as likely as whites to report clairvoyance. There was no race difference in telepathy. MacDonald can't explain this, but speculates that there may be beliefs common within the black culture that make clairvoyance more acceptable. * Women were more likely to report telepathy than men. This is compatible with the theory that women are socialized to be more sensitive and intuitive. * Younger people were more likely to report both telepathy and clairvoyance. "This may be a generational difference. Younger people have been exposed to reports of paranormal experiences through the media since a young age. This may make them more willing to believe." * People with higher levels of education were more likely to report telepathy. Those who have completed more school may have more open minds about the possibility of unusual or paranormal experiences, MacDonald suggests.