Looking into the eyes of another person for 10 minutes, you change your mind

It turns out that if you continuously look into the eyes of another person for a long period of time, you can really change your own mind.

What happens if you look in the mirror?

The researcher Giovanni Caputo of the University of Urbino, in Italy, has already taken on such experiments. So, a few years ago they were recruited by 50 volunteers who were supposed to look at their own reflection in a mirror in a dimly lit room. For the duration of the experiment, people were given only 10 minutes, but within one minute many volunteers began to experience a change in consciousness. First they began to see their own reflection deformed, then changed, and then in the mirror and monsters or freakish monsters appeared at all. Some people saw in the mirror the deceased members of the family. Curiously, hallucinations became more dramatic when the volunteers were changing mirrors.

New research

For a new experiment, Caputo selected 40 volunteers. Among them were both young and adult people, all participants were divided into pairs. This experiment was again conducted in a dimly lit room, but now people had to sit in armchairs and look into the eyes of their partner. The distance to the partner's eyes was minimal, only 1 meter. The backlight was set so that participants could distinguish between the small features of the opponent's face. However, the color perception was significantly reduced.

People were divided into two groups: half of the participants looked at each other, the rest were back to back. The task of the second group of volunteers was to look closely at the wall. For the purity of the experiment, in order to avoid unnecessary fantasies, the participants were not informed in advance of the objectives. The author of the experiment should be sure that all changes in consciousness were not a fruit of expectation. So, people were sure that they participate only in meditative experience.

10 minutes, turning consciousness

At the end of the short-term experiment, the volunteers completed the questionnaires. It turned out that people who looked in the face of a colleague in the experiment, perceived colors more intense, and sounds deeper. It seemed to them that time seemed to slow down, and thoughts were messy. 90% of the people in the first group admitted that their partner's face was distorted, 75% had time to see monstrous creatures opposite themselves. 15% admitted that in the person of their partner, one of the deceased relatives clearly distinguished.

Conclusions of the experiment

The researcher summarizes the experiment. All these manifestations were nothing more than a symptom of dissociation or a departure from the connection with reality. However, the loss of connection with reality correlates only with facial deformations. Visions of terrible monsters lead the scientist to a curious conclusion. And if there is a way out of consciousness, then there must be an input. Reverse linking to reality, as well as concomitant manifestations, can be caused by the absence of sensory stimulation.

Action Scheme

When a person looks at one point for a long period, peripheral vision begins to dull. That is why the face of the opponent begins to gradually disappear. The appearance of strange things is characterized by features of the brain. In the event that visual information is absent or minimized, the brain itself fills the gap formed on the basis of existing expectations and experiences. The next goal of the scientist is the desire to determine the origin of strange hallucinations. A new experiment is also planned to be carried out in a darkened space.