Is the This Man phenomenon real or just a figment of our imaginations?

[Math Is Hard]

The "This Man" phenomenon

http://thisman.org/history.htm

Ever dream about this man?

In January 2006 in New York, the patient of a well-known psychiatrist draws the face of a man that has been repeatedly appearing in her dreams. In more than one occasion that man has given her advice on her private life. The woman swears she has never met the man in her life.

That portrait lies forgotten on the psychiatrist's desk for a few days until one day another patient recognizes that face and says that the man has often visited him in his dreams. He also claims he has never seen that man in his waking life.

The psychiatrist decides to send the portrait to some of his colleagues that have patients with recurrent dreams. Within a few months, four patients recognize the man as a frequent presence in their own dreams. All the patients refer to him as THIS MAN.

From January 2006 until today, at least 2000 people have claimed they have seen this man in their dreams, in many cities all over the world: Los Angeles, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Tehran, Beijing, Rome, Barcelona, Stockholm, Paris, New Dehli, Moskow etc.

At the moment there is no ascertained relation or common trait among the people that have dreamed of seeing this man. Moreover, no living man has ever been recognized as resembling the man of the portrait by the people who have seen this man in their dreams.

The 2nd recognition description is unsettling, but with the other reports (and without knowing more detail), it seems that the psychiatrists could have been unintentionally planting a suggestion to the patients that they had seen the face, especially if they were pointedly asking "have you seen this face in your dreams?" rather than just leaving the picture out for discovery. This questioning could have built up into a false memory ("maybe I did dream that face"), or maybe even triggered a dream of the face to occur (sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy).

Just had to share this one because it was so strange. Could be the whole thing is baloney, though.

 

[Evo]

Seems to be a hoax.

A viral internet marketing company seems to own the site.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Seems to be a hoax.

A viral internet marketing company seems to own the site.

I wonder if it's a pure viral marketing experiment. Or maybe there is some promotion that will be revealed later once this has saturated the internet.

 

[lisab]

But wait a minute...does the guy give good advice? Because dang, if he does, I have **lots** of complicated personal issues I'd like his views on.

Unfortunately, I've never seen him, in dreams or otherwise.

Maybe tonight, though...cross my fingers!

 

[DaveC426913]

But wait a minute...does the guy give good advice? Because dang, if he does, I have **lots** of complicated personal issues I'd like his views on.

Unfortunately, I've never seen him, in dreams or otherwise.

Maybe tonight, though...cross my fingers!

Just tell me your issues. I'll ask him tonight for you.

 

[ideasrule]

The 2nd recognition description is unsettling, but with the other reports (and without knowing more detail), it seems that the psychiatrists could have been unintentionally planting a suggestion to the patients that they had seen the face, especially if they were pointedly asking "have you seen this face in your dreams?" rather than just leaving the picture out for discovery. This questioning could have built up into a false memory ("maybe I did dream that face"), or maybe even triggered a dream of the face to occur (sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy).

Instead of revealing the portrait, what the psychiatrists should have done is ask their clients to independently draw portraits of the face they saw in their dreams. Then, they should have sent the portraits to a third party to judge whether the two are of the same person. One problem to this method is that memories of dreams are usually extremely fuzzy, so even if two people did dream of the same person, they might draw very different portraits. Then again, because memories of dreams are fuzzy, the 2000 people might of dreamt of people who looked similar but not identical.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Instead of revealing the portrait, what the psychiatrists should have done is ask their clients to independently draw portraits of the face they saw in their dreams.

It's a good idea, but IIRC from the site it is not known that the patients were seeing a face, only that they were having recurring dreams. To ask them to draw the picture of a face they were seeing would be leading them. (And of course, it could all be a hoax, as Evo pointed out).

Then, they should have sent the portraits to a third party to judge whether the two are of the same person.

Another good idea - although inter-rater reliability measures could be very inconsistent. Some people might draw detailed portraits, others might draw stick figures. It could get very difficult for the judges. Some people might get disqualified because they just can't draw very well.

One problem to this method is that memories of dreams are usually extremely fuzzy, so even if two people did dream of the same person, they might draw very different portraits. Then again, because memories of dreams are fuzzy, the 2000 people might of dreamt of people who looked similar but not identical.

Yes, indeed. Even memories of events that really happened in the past tend to be quite malleable. With dreams, it gets even worse I would imagine.

I think it is interesting to look at it from a reverse and more manipulative perspective - how easily can you convince people that they remember something (purely invented by the experimenter) from a dream? I can't help but wonder if this whole "this man" thing is part of a cognitive psychology experiment on memory manipulation. :)

 

[DavidSnider]

I find it interesting that people actually see faces in their dreams.

My dreams are all pretty much just a "sense" of something, there isn't a visual component to it. I can get a sense that "I'm running down a hallway" but I could never tell you what color the walls were.

 

[ideasrule]

I find it interesting that people actually see faces in their dreams.

My dreams are all pretty much just a "sense" of something, there isn't a visual component to it. I can get a sense that "I'm running down a hallway" but I could never tell you what color the walls were.

That's REALLY interesting. You can't see images at all in a dream? Can you hear sound, feel pain, or smell?

I once tried lucid dreaming to see how much I can experience in a dream. I heard that some people can't see color in dreams; I specifically looked for color in my dreams and found it. Children's shows would lead us to believe people can't feel pain in a dream; I pinched myself and definitely felt it.

 

[DaveC426913]

I pinched myself and definitely felt it.

Did you feel it? Or did you simply dream that "the pinch was felt"?

I know sometimes I dream that things seem to have happened in my dream, but then later in the dream, it didn't actually turn out to have happened.

 

[DavidSnider]

That's REALLY interesting. You can't see images at all in a dream? Can you hear sound, feel pain, or smell?

I once tried lucid dreaming to see how much I can experience in a dream. I heard that some people can't see color in dreams; I specifically looked for color in my dreams and found it. Children's shows would lead us to believe people can't feel pain in a dream; I pinched myself and definitely felt it.

No, none of those things. It's like the dream is a plot outline, no details. Emotions are all 100% there though.

I have had a lucid dream one time in my life and it was pretty horrifying. I took a nap on the couch next to the sliding glass door in my house and I had the most incredibly vivid dream of a guy dressed in black throwing a brick through the glass door (no sound though, still) that lasted for a split second. I ran into the kitchen to grab something to defend myself and it took a few seconds for me to realize what had just happened. I can't induce them though.

 

[ideasrule]

Did you feel it? Or did you simply dream that "the pinch was felt"?

I know sometimes I dream that things seem to have happened in my dream, but then later in the dream, it didn't actually turn out to have happened.

I definitely did feel it. This was a lucid dream and I planned to pinch myself well before going to bed, so I was specifically thinking while inside the dream: "I will now pinch myself and see if I feel it." Then I was thinking: "I feel the pinch, and it's indistinguishable from what I would have felt in real life." This contradicts children's TV shows in which people tell whether they're dreaming or not by pinching themselves.

 

[ideasrule]

I have had a lucid dream one time in my life and it was pretty horrifying. I took a nap on the couch next to the sliding glass door in my house and I had the most incredibly vivid dream of a guy dressed in black throwing a brick through the glass door (no sound though, still) that lasted for a split second. I ran into the kitchen to grab something to defend myself and it took a few seconds for me to realize what had just happened. I can't induce them though.

That's not really what a lucid dream is. In a lucid dream, you consciously know that you're dreaming and usually try to take advantage of the situation.

 

[DavidSnider]

That's not really what a lucid dream is. In a lucid dream, you consciously know that you're dreaming and usually try to take advantage of the situation.

Oh, ok. In that case, no. I can't even recall ever having to make a decision in a dream, it's like watching a movie (or rather, like having a book read to you).

In this particular case though it was as if I hadn't even closed my eyes and the "dream world" and reality merged. Not sure what you call that. "Crazy" is my guess. =)

 

[DavidSnider]

I definitely did feel it. This was a lucid dream and I planned to pinch myself well before going to bed, so I was specifically thinking while inside the dream: "I will now pinch myself and see if I feel it." Then I was thinking: "I feel the pinch, and it's indistinguishable from what I would have felt in real life." This contradicts children's TV shows in which people tell whether they're dreaming or not by pinching themselves.

Maybe you pinched yourself in real life? No way to know =)

 

[DaveC426913]

In this particular case though it was as if I hadn't even closed my eyes and the "dream world" and reality merged. Not sure what you call that. "Crazy" is my guess. =)

That's called daydreaming.

I think we colloquially use it to mean just lost in thought, but I think the correct meaning is more literal. I do occasionally have dreams while awake. It happens when I'm very tired or bored. In company meetings for example, I've almost burst out with a reponse to some dreamed statement someone made - and this happens when I am still awake.

 

[DavidSnider]

That's called daydreaming.

I think we colloquially use it to mean just lost in thought, but I think the correct meaning is more literal. I do occasionally have dreams while awake. It happens when I'm very tired or bored. In company meetings for example, I've almost burst out with a reponse to some dreamed statement someone made.

Oh is that what daydreaming is? I always thought of it in the colloquial way. God, I'm glad that doesn't happen often lol.

 

[Chewy0087]

interesting case, would be a shame if it's a hoax

on a side note this man looks identical to how I imagined O'Brien from 1984, and i mean identical!

also he looks rather like Mr Beauregarde from the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, here's a picture of him

http://s12.bdbphotos.com/images/80x104/d/x/dxrr0gns3jaa0g.jpg

 

[DaveC426913]

on a side note this man looks identical to how I imagined O'Brien from 1984, and i mean identical!

O'Brien who?

 

[mikeph]

Saw an article on this in the local metro paper. Conclusion: I need to start paying for newspapers.

 

[mikelepore]

I have seen that man before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitch-Hiker_(The_Twilight_Zone)