00:00Have you ever had the impression that someone was in the room with you while you were alone?
00:05It's a mysterious feeling that few people dare to admit.
00:09Research exists to help us understand this enigmatic phenomenon.
00:13In fact, since 1894, the Society for Psychical Research has conducted one of the greatest studies on this subject.
00:22They discovered that a person out of 43 interviewees had had visits that seemed impossible
00:28and that could not simply be attributed to chance.
00:32The study included cases of telepathy, premonition and other unusual phenomena
00:37such as the nocturnal presence warning a reverend to avoid a boat trip that then led to a drowning.
00:44Nowadays, these experiments can be understood using scientific models of the mind and body.
00:51For example, sleep paralysis, experienced by about 7% of adults, has been associated with presences.
00:58Our muscles remain frozen, but our mind is active and awake.
01:02And more than 50% of people suffering from sleep paralysis report having felt a presence.
01:08Although Victorian presences have generally been reassuring,
01:11modern examples triggered by sleep paralysis tend to be malicious.
01:17But why would sleep paralysis create a feeling of presence?
01:22Researchers suggest that waking up in such an unusual situation
01:26leads people to feel threatened and their mind fills with emptiness.
01:30Another approach to study disturbing experiences
01:33is to compare what people feel during sleep paralysis to other similar experiences,
01:39such as the sensations that people with Parkinson's disease or psychosis may experience.
01:46A study suggests that it is unlikely that it is a specific sleep phenomenon.
01:51Other cultures have their own disturbing stories about nocturnal presences,
01:55such as the little pierced-hand monk, Portuguese, or the Ogun-Oru of Yoruba, Nigeria.
02:01It is interesting to note that we know, thanks to studies of neurological cases
02:05and experiences of brain stimulation, that body signals can all arouse presences.
02:11For example, a neurologist has created a shadow figure in the mind of a woman
02:15by electrically stimulating a part of her brain located on the left side, up and back.
02:21In addition, when people's expectations of their senses are modified,
02:25this can lead some people in good health to feel the presence of something or someone with them.
02:31So, even if we feel like we are not alone, it may just be our brain playing tricks on us.
02:39Let's continue now with emotions that we cannot easily name.
02:43The first of these is ellipsis.
02:45It refers to the melancholy felt by missing the future.
02:48This term has two definitions.
02:50The first definition is a personal feeling of sadness
02:53that occurs when we think about the immediate future to which we will escape,
02:57such as not seeing your grandchildren grow old
02:59or not seeing your community or your country go through difficult times.
03:04The second definition is linked to something of a much more cosmic importance.
03:09It is a cry united among people of the present to get a glimpse of the future.
03:14From this point of view, ellipsis is a philosophical reflection on the end of history itself.
03:20The past that we will idolize exists only in our memories,
03:24and the future on which we reflect is only a product of our imagination.
03:28Everything that happens, everything that really happens, happens now.
03:32Our fixations on the past and the future are precisely what deprives us of the experience of the present.
03:38As a result, we should change our perception of time and live in the present.
03:44The next is liberosis.
03:46Adult life is difficult.
03:48We have bills to pay, household chores to do and responsibilities to take on.
03:53Sometimes we just want to raise our hands and say,
03:56I give up.
03:57This is liberosis, the desire to worry less about everything.
04:01Let's all become children again, playing with our toys without worrying about anything.
04:05You know, like when you want to let go in your life,
04:09stop worrying about the smallest details and start playing on the fly instead.
04:13It's like keeping the ball in the air with the help of your friends and just having a good time.
04:19Have you ever thought about a past experience and wanted to be able to tell your younger self that everything would be fine?
04:26It's the trial.
04:27An elegant word to describe the feeling of happiness and relief about the way things went.
04:33It's a bit similar to denouement,
04:35a sophisticated literary term for the end of a story where everything is resolved.
04:39But ennouement, my friends, is to feel this sweet bitterness when you finally see the result of something you've been waiting for.
04:45Because you can't go back in time and tell your old self about it.
04:49It's finally getting to the place where you've always wanted to go.
04:53But realize that you've left a part of yourself behind.
04:56It's like finishing a long trip with a friend,
04:59but then you go back and he's no longer there.
05:02Woohoo! I made it!
05:05But then feeling a little sad because your friend is not there to celebrate with you?
05:11Sometimes, we live experiences that are very personal and meaningful to us,
05:16but when we try to share them with others, they just don't understand.
05:20Like when you show a meme to a friend, but he doesn't laugh.
05:24It's the Exulansis.
05:25This feeling of frustration when people can't relate to our experiences.
05:30So, imagine that you're trying to tell your friend about an incredible experience you've had,
05:35but he just doesn't seem to understand.
05:37He nods and says all the right things,
05:40but you feel that he doesn't really connect to what you're saying.
05:43This feeling of frustration and loneliness that you feel at that moment is the Exulansis.
05:50It's not your fault.
05:51You need a certain intellectual capacity to really understand someone else's point of view.
05:56You have to be able to imagine what they feel and think,
05:59and it's not always easy.
06:01In addition, even if two people go through the same thing,
06:04they can experience it differently.
06:06So, what can you do about the Exulansis?
06:10First of all, remember that you don't always need to be understood.
06:14Sometimes, sharing your story with someone who is ready to listen is enough.
06:18Have you ever been standing at a high place and suddenly felt the urge to jump?
06:23Don't worry, you're not alone.
06:25This feeling is called the Emptiness Call.
06:28Despite its name, which may seem disturbing,
06:30the Emptiness Call is actually quite common and has nothing to do with negative thoughts,
06:35as revealed by a 2012 study.
06:38But why do we feel that?
06:41Well, it turns out that our brains are wired to send warning signals
06:45in potentially dangerous situations, like
06:52Sometimes, these signals are misinterpreted as a desire to jump or do something risky.
06:56So, the next time you feel the Emptiness Call,
06:59just remember that it's normal and that it doesn't necessarily mean something serious.
07:05Just take a step back.
07:07Maybe call a friend to distract you.
07:10What about the urge to watch your favorite movies or listen to songs again and again?
07:14Good news?
07:16Can it improve our well-being?
07:18There are so many reasons why repeated watchings can be fulfilling and comforting.
07:23They connect us to our past.
07:25For example, watching the same family show again and again
07:29can offer us an exciting mixture of relaxation and stimulation.
07:34It's like spending time with an old friend
07:36who can still surprise you with something new every time.
07:40Another reason why we spend so much time with stories we already know
07:45is that repeated watchings can meet our emotional needs.
07:49We get the stories and emotions we expect
07:52and we know exactly how we will feel at the end.
07:55That's why comedies are more popular for repeated watchings than dramas or tragedies.
08:01But that's not all.
08:03Watching old movies or series can also be therapeutic.
08:06It allows us to relive an era in which we keep a warm memory
08:10and to reconnect with people from our past.
08:13It can also be a way to take a break
08:15from the overwhelming amount of options that streaming services offer,
08:19which constitutes the paradox of choice.
08:21Finally, there is the effect of conjuration.
08:24When we watch the same movie or the same show several times,
08:28we feel a sense of personal control over the enumeration.
08:31This can give us the impression of directing people and their actions,
08:34which can be very satisfying.
08:36And here you are, enjoying the trilogy The Lord of the Rings for the tenth time.
08:40Before leaving, I should also mention that some of these scientific terms
08:44are invented, well, in a way.
08:47They were created by the author of the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows,
08:51so you won't find them in other dictionaries.
08:54Shakespeare also invented many words
08:57and we use them now,
08:59so why not give them a chance to others as well?
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