Do You Ever Have That Feeling That Someone Is Watching You

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of feeling watched, exploring personal anecdotes and interpretations of this sensation. Participants share experiences and theories related to sensory perception, humor, and the psychological aspects of awareness, with a mix of serious and lighthearted contributions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Humorous

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a personal experience of feeling watched while hiking, attributing it to a "sixth sense" that alerted them to a mountain lion's presence.
  • Another participant humorously coins the term "Extra Sensory Dangly-Bits Perception" (ESDBP) in response to the first post.
  • Several participants argue that the sensation of being watched is not a sixth sense but rather normal senses operating below conscious awareness, referencing pre-attentive processing.
  • One participant suggests that people often look around for various reasons, and the instances where something is actually watching them are memorable, while the misses are forgotten.
  • Another participant reflects on the ability to adjust sensory thresholds based on experience, particularly in contexts like radio training.
  • Humorous exchanges about tinfoil hats and their perceived value arise, with participants joking about paranoia and the absurdity of the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the feeling of being watched is a sixth sense or a function of normal sensory processing. While some agree on the latter interpretation, others maintain the validity of the "sixth sense" concept, leading to an unresolved debate.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference external sources, such as Wikipedia, to support their claims about sensory perception, but the discussion remains informal and anecdotal without rigorous scientific backing.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in psychology, sensory perception, or humorous takes on everyday experiences may find this discussion engaging.

edward
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It can be a someone or it can be a something.

The last time I had that feeling, it was a little tingle on the back of my neck, and it was a definitely a thing watching me. I was hiking in the mountains and over a period of 15 seconds or so I became wary and felt that tingle. I looked around and then I looked behind me and looked up.

There on a ledge up on the cliff behind me was a very curious mountain lion. I noticed that it was about 60 feet up and realized that I was in no danger. My sixth sense had worked.

Fast forward about ten years. This morning I took the door off of one of the bathrooms. My wife needs the extra width to get through the doorway until she no long needs to use a walker due to a broken ankle. The missing door is no big problem because the bathroom is around a corner inside of a bedroom.

I did some other chores around the house and then came in and took a shower. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel and started drying my head first as usual. At some point as I was drying my head, and what hair I have left, I began to get that odd feeling that I was being watched. I also remembered that there was no door.

I slowly lowered the towel from my face and there to my surprise was my dog Daisy. This shouldn't have been a problem except that Daisy likes to grab towels and play tug. This happens a lot when we are outside and I am drying Daisy off. I finally gave up on trying to stop her and just started letting the mutt tear at one end of the towel while I dry her off with the other.

I had a bit of a problem in that bathroom, Daisy had that intense look in her eyes that she gets when she is about to grab something and the closest part of the towel to the dog was hanging over my private parts. I quickly put my hand down over my essentials as I turned sideways and yelled "Get the He! out of here dog! Daisy does obey that command.

That sixth sense had worked again :D

1qgwwl.jpg
 
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A clear case of ESDBP.

Extra Sensory Dangly-Bits Perception.
 
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lisab said:
A clear case of ESDBP.

Extra Sensory Dangly-Bits Perception.

Holy cow the headlines in tomorrows paper could have read DOG NEUTERS OWNER .
 
 
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gosh, I could make a fortune selling tinfoil hats ;)
 
nsaspook said:
It's not a sixth sense, it's your normal senses working below the threshold of your conscious perception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-attentive_processing
Most of us married guys are experts in adjusting the threshold.

I had read that Wiki link before I posted. I just used the term "sixth sense" for dramatic effect. :D
 
davenn said:
gosh, I could make a fortune selling tinfoil hats ;)

How much are those things selling for now anyway? I accidently wrapped a sandwich in my old one and put it in the microwave. :D
 
  • #10
nsaspook said:
It's not a sixth sense, it's your normal senses working below the threshold of your conscious perception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-attentive_processing
I don't even buy this. People stop and look around for many common reasons. One time out of ten, there's someone, or something, watching you. Those "hits" stand out in your memory, and the "misses" are forgotten.
 
  • #11
edward said:
How much are those things selling for now anyway?

the greater the person's paranoia, the more they are willing to pay ;) ... name you price haha
 
  • #12
zoobyshoe said:
I don't even buy this. People stop and look around for many common reasons. One time out of ten, there's someone, or something, watching you. Those "hits" stand out in your memory, and the "misses" are forgotten.

Sure sometimes but we have all had times when our attention is on something else and completely missed obvious events like changes in sounds or patterns of motion that would have been detected if we were acutely aware of our surroundings. I was joking about controlling the threshold but it's something we all do at some level. I remember learning to copy code , type and talk at the same time at radio school, after a while you learned how to focus conscious perception on one and how to background others but still buffer the information in short term memory. We even had a patch for it.
http://www.navy-radio.com/misc/norfolk-decal-02_small.jpg
 
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  • #13
davenn said:
the greater the person's paranoia, the more they are willing to pay ;) ... name you price haha
Thank you very much for the free tinfoil hat. :D
 
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