To know mist of us have a sixth sense?

[Fiddlefree]

Apologies for the title, I don't mean we can see dead people!

I was on the tube last week, busy but not packed, I was reading my book when I became aware that someone was staring at me. I hadn't looked up but just had a feeling and I even knew which direction it was coming from. I was loathe to look up as worried it would be someone scary but in the end the 'feeling' was so strong, I looked straight in the supposed direction to see a woman really gazing at me. Our eyes locked for a couple of seconds and she then looked away and rummaged in her bag. I went back to my book and sort if forgot about it.

And then yesterday, I walked into one of the offices at work, 4 staff in there and felt a really uncomfortable atmosphere. Everyone was busy at their desk working and nothing was said but I just knew. Later on I found out 2 of the staff had had a dispute over a piece of work and this was the immediate aftermath. On another day I can go in the same room and no such feelings.

I also was chatting to someone I know socially, all very friendly but I just know she doesn't like me. Again, no bad words or odd body language I just sense this.

I assume almost everyone has experienced the same sort of instances as I've described so what I'm asking is:
1.Is this a tangible thing?

1. Does it have a name like taste, smell etc
2. Have their been any scientific studies to explain this?ie Humans give of some sort of electrical pulse that alerts others subconscious?
3. Or, is it just a load of woo bollocks?

I'm just really interested in knowing more

Confirmation bias. You've picked out the occasions where you unconsciously yet correctly picked out an atmosphere. Now go and pick out the umpteen 1000 times you didn't 😁

I am sure we can sense people staring at us.

I think maybe our peripheral vision picks up things we arent conscious of like movement or lack of movement. Plus body language is more importsnt than verbal language. Lots of cultures or even different species can read each others body language.

There are also senses called interoception which are where you respond to yourself (hunger, heat) and proprioception which is like a sense of where your body is in its surrounding.

So maybe there is an i can feel someone staring at me sense.

Some experiments into staring here
www.sheldrake.org/research/sense-of-being-stared-at/experiments-on-the-sense-of-being-stared-at-eliminating-artefacts

I'm open minded on these issues, mainly because there's just so much we don't know and suggestions that our current knowledge is all there is frustrate me

Confirmation bias is definitely a thing, but so are other possibilities

Rupert Sheldrake talks about this sort of thing.

Some people just have hypersensitivity. It's common with neurodivergence for example. Picking up subtle cues others might miss.

Some people are also hypervigilant for other reasons eg childhood trauma. It's a survival instinct basically.

I certainly believe we have senses underdeveloped because we no longer need to use them. The awareness of being stared at - yes, I've no difficulty believing that.

The biological phenomenon is known as “gaze detection” or “gaze perception.” Neurological studies have found that the brain cells that initiate this response are very precise. If someone turns their gaze off of you by turning just a few degrees to their left or right, that eerie feeling quickly fades.

It’s known in the security industry that if you watch a potential shoplifter on cctv they know your watching them & stop stealing.

It’s interesting to read the link to Sheldrake’s experiments. I agree with @StoneofDestiny that we may have sense which have been largely switched off in the modern world.
I have experienced many instances where my instincts have kicked in and proven to be right . And yes I get the idea on confirmation bias, but I think we can be susceptible to ‘atmosphere’ for want of a better descriptor , if we can allow ourselves to tune in to it.

I believe we receive information about people and can do that when we are seperated from them.

So many times when DD was ill at school and needed to be picked up - I had already stopped what I was doing - decided not to get on a bus etc and the next minute the phone rang to give me the news that I needed to pick her up.

Not coincidence at all.

Electricity and energy yes, it's what the world is made up of. Just because we can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. Have you seen sound frequencies affecting water?

I get this all the time! Could sense when a friend of a friend didn't like me. Can always tell when people have had 'words' or if someone is feeling anxious; I seem to get 'their' feelings inside me...wierd!

I see dead people

I used to wake up and 'know' that my son's key was going to go in the door a couple of minutes before it did, whether it was 2.00am or 4.00am when he'd been out🤷

I certainly do, and my dog can often read my mind.

Years ago I was shopping in John Lewis, absorbed in looking at items I was considering buying when suddenly the thought "turn round" came clearly into my head. So I did and standing directly in my line of sight was an old friend I had lost touch with some years ago and was overjoyed to see again.

The staring thing is really fascinating. The way you can look up and immediately lock eyes with someone staring at you, or they could do the same.

Interesting to know this does have an explanation.

The atmosphere thing is also true - although it’s obvious some people are much better at picking up on non-verbal communication than others.

Natural selection.
Those who weren't aware of their surroundings got eaten.
The better the animal is at noticing small things that are potential threats, the more likely it is to survive and pass on its genes.

Fast forward a million years and you've got us. Who notice subconsciously when someone is looking at us, who pick up on tiny tell tale body language clues, who see a hell of a lot without realising we've seen it. Our brain just processes it then goes hey, heads up, someone's looking at you. You might get eaten. 😁

That's what I came on to say.

I had a horrible childhood and am still incredibly sensitive to 'atmosphere'. Reading the room quickly was a survival instinct for us.

What was your childhood like OP?

Have a look at Rupert sheldrake, he does studies into things like this, including the sense of being stared at (which apparently even works over cctv). I like him, and his ideas.

@SquirrelSoShiny
I had a loving family, 3 siblings so very lively, noisy household but I think my childhood was almost idyllic.
Will look into Rupert Sheldrake. Thank you to those that suggested this.

Sorry, I meant to respond to @CarrieMoonbeams re childhood.

Well, humans definitely have a lot more than 5 senses (I think it’s meant to be about 40?) but I’m not sure if most of the situations you describe are just picking up on social cues.