00:00Have you ever felt as if someone was in the room with you when you were alone?
00:04It's a spooky feeling that not everyone is keen to admit.
00:09There's research to help us understand this mysterious sensation.
00:13In fact, way back in 1894, the Society for Psychical Research conducted one of the largest
00:20studies on this topic.
00:22They found that one in every 43 people surveyed experienced visitations that seemed impossible,
00:29and they couldn't just be down to chance.
00:31The study included cases of telepathy, premonitions, and other unusual phenomena, like a night-time
00:38presence warning a reverend away from a boat trip that later led to drowning.
00:44Nowadays, these experiences can be understood with the help of scientific models of the
00:49mind and body.
00:51For instance, sleep paralysis experienced by about 7% of adults has been linked to presences.
00:57Our muscles remain frozen, but our mind is active and awake.
01:02And more than 50% of people with sleep paralysis report encountering a presence.
01:08Although Victorian presences were usually comforting, modern examples triggered by sleep
01:13paralysis tend to be malevolent.
01:18But why would sleep paralysis create a feeling of presence?
01:22Researchers suggest that waking up in such unusual situations makes people feel threatened
01:27and their mind fills the gap.
01:31Another approach to studying spooky experiences is to compare the things people feel during
01:36sleep paralysis to other experiences, like the feeling people with Parkinson's or psychosis
01:42might have.
01:43A study suggests that it's unlikely to be a sleep-specific phenomenon.
01:48Other cultures have their own spooky stories about night-time presences, such as the Portuguese
01:53Little Friar with the Pierced Hand or the Ogun Oru of the Yoruba people in Nigeria.
01:59Interestingly, we know from neurological case studies and brain stimulation experiments
02:05that bodily cues can provoke presences.
02:08For instance, a neurologist created a shadow figure in a woman's mind by electrically
02:13stimulating a part of her brain located on the left side towards the top and back.
02:19Additionally, when people's expectations about their senses are changed, it can make
02:23some healthy people feel like something or someone is there with them.
02:28So, while we might feel like we're not alone, it could just be our brain playing tricks
02:34on us.
02:36Now let's carry on with emotions that we can't easily name.
02:40The first one is ellipsism.
02:43It refers to the melancholy of missing out on the future.
02:46There are two definitions for this term.
02:49The first definition is a personal sense of sadness that arises when one thinks of the
02:53immediate future they'll miss out on, such as not seeing their grandkids grow old or
02:58not seeing their community or country emerge out of times of trouble.
03:04The second definition is linked to something of much more cosmic importance.
03:08It's a united cry out among the people of the present to get a glimpse into the future.
03:14From this point of view, ellipsism is philosophizing on the end of history itself.
03:20The past we idolize exists only in memory, and the future we ponder upon is a figment
03:26of our imagination.
03:28All that happens, all that actually happens, happens now.
03:32Our fixations on the past and future are precisely what robs us of the experience of the present.
03:37Therefore, we should switch our perception of time around and live in the present.
03:44The next one is liberosis.
03:46Grown-up life is hard.
03:48We have bills to pay, chores to do, and responsibilities to follow.
03:52Sometimes you just want to throw your hands up and say, I quit!
03:57That's liberosis, the desire to care less about everything.
04:01Let's all just be kids again, playing with our toys and not worrying about a thing.
04:06You know, like when you want to let go of your life, stop worrying about every little
04:10thing and start playing volleyball instead.
04:13It's like keeping the ball in the air with the help of your friends and just having a
04:17good time!
04:19Have you ever looked back on a past experience and wished you could tell your younger self
04:24that everything would be okay?
04:26That's annuement, a fancy word for feeling happy and relieved about how things turned
04:31out.
04:32It's kind of similar to denouement, which is a fancy literary term for the end of a
04:36story where everything gets resolved.
04:39Annuement, my friends, is feeling all bittersweet when you finally see the outcome of something
04:44you've been waiting for because you can't go back in time and tell your past self about
04:49it.
04:50It's you finally getting to that place you've always wanted to go, but realizing you left
04:54a part of yourself behind.
04:56It's like finishing a long journey with a friend, but when you look back, they're not
05:00there anymore.
05:01Woohoo!
05:02I made it!
05:04But then feeling a little sad because your friend isn't there to celebrate with you.
05:12Sometimes we have experiences that are very personal and meaningful to us, but when we
05:16try to share them with others, they just don't get it.
05:20Like you show your friend a meme, but they just don't laugh at him.
05:24That's exolensis, the feeling of frustration when people can't relate to our experiences.
05:30Alright, so imagine you're trying to tell your friend about this crazy experience you
05:34had, but they just don't seem to get it.
05:36They're nodding along and saying all the right things, but you can tell they're not really
05:41connecting with what you're saying.
05:43That feeling of frustration and loneliness you get in that moment?
05:47That's exolensis.
05:50It's not your fault.
05:51It takes some serious brainpower to really understand where someone else is coming from.
05:56You've got to be able to imagine what they're feeling and thinking, and that's not always
06:00easy.
06:01Plus, even if two people go through the same thing, they might experience it differently.
06:07So what can you do about exolensis?
06:10First off, remember that you don't always have to be understood.
06:14Sometimes, sharing your story with someone who will listen is enough.
06:19Have you ever stood somewhere high up and suddenly felt the urge to jump?
06:23Don't worry, you're not alone.
06:25This feeling is named the call of the void.
06:28Despite its ominous sounding name, the call of the void is actually pretty common and
06:33has nothing to do with bad thoughts, as a study from 2012 found out.
06:39But why do we feel this way?
06:41Well, it turns out our brains are wired to send warning signals in potentially dangerous
06:46situations like, don't touch that fire, or back away from the edge.
06:51Sometimes, these signals get misinterpreted as an urge to jump or something risky.
06:57So the next time you feel the call of the void, just remember that it's normal and doesn't
07:01necessarily mean anything serious.
07:04Just take a step back, maybe call a friend to distract yourself.
07:10What about the urge to re-watch your favorite movies or listen to songs over and over again?
07:15Good news, it can boost our well-being!
07:18There are so many reasons why repeated viewings can be fulfilling and comforting.
07:23They connect us with our past.
07:25For instance, watching the same familiar show again and again can provide us with an exciting
07:30mix of relaxation and stimulation.
07:34It's like hanging out with an old friend, who can still surprise you with something
07:37new every time.
07:40Another reason why we spend so much time with stories we already know is that repeated viewings
07:45can fulfill our emotional needs.
07:48We get the stories and emotions we expect, and we know exactly how we'll feel at the
07:53end.
07:54That's why comedies are more popular for repeated viewings than dramas or tragedies.
07:59But that's not all.
08:01Re-watching old movies or shows can also be therapeutic.
08:04It allows us to relive a time we remember with fondness and connect with people from
08:09our past.
08:10We can also use it to take a break from the overwhelming array of options that streaming
08:15services offer, which is the paradox of choice.
08:19Lastly, there's the conjuring effect.
08:22When we watch the same movie or show repeatedly, we experience a sense of personal control
08:27over the outcome.
08:28It can make us feel like we're directing the people and their actions, which can be
08:33very satisfying.
08:35And so there you are, enjoying the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the 10th time!
08:39Before you go, I should also mention that some of these scientific terms are made up
08:44Well, kind of.
08:45They were created by the author of the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, so you can't find them
08:50in other dictionaries.
08:52Shakespeare also made up numerous words, and now we use them, so why not give a chance
08:57to others as well?
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