Implicit model of other people’s visual attention as an invisible beam
&gt; Since the eyes obviously do not really extrude a beam of energy, this view is typically dismissed by science.<p>If you start with an assumption, the end result will probably be compatible with the assumption.<p>Rupert Sheldrake wrote a book titled <i>The Sense of Being Stared At</i> [0]. I recently found a copy at a thrift store (it was on my stack of books that I&#x27;ve yet to read). Dr. Sheldrake does not adopt materialist science&#x27;s assumptions.<p>Perhaps the eyes do not exactly emit invisible energy, but something is probably happening that deserves to be investigated.<p>Here&#x27;s a quote from Rupert Sheldrake&#x27;s book (pg. 125):<p><pre><code>  [anecdote of girl&#x27;s experience of catching 
  creeper following her]
  
  In frightening situations such as this, the 
  sense of being stared at is particularly 
  memorable. But most people have experienced 
  it for themselves, usually in less dramatic 
  circumstances. In my own surveys of adults 
  in Europe and in the United States, 70 to 
  90 percent said they had sensed when they 
  were being looked at from behind. Surveys 
  by other researchers have given similar 
  results. Gerald Winer and his colleagues in 
  the Psychology Department of Ohio State 
  University have found that these 
  experiences are even commoner among 
  children than adults. Ninety-four percent 
  of sixth-grade schoolchildren (aged eleven 
  and twelve) answered yest to the question, 
  &quot;do you ever feel that someone is staring 
  at you without actually seeing them look at 
  you?&quot; So did 89 percent of college 
  students.
  
  The sense of being stared is often alluded 
  to in short stories and novels. &quot;His eyes 
  bored into the back of her neck&quot; is a 
  cliche of popular fiction. Here is an 
  example from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the 
  creator of Sherlock Holmes: [...]
</code></pre>
&gt; We proposed (9) that a simplified model of vision may be related to a belief that is <i>extraordinarily persistent</i> across human cultures: the belief that the eyes emit an invisible energy. (emphasis added)<p>[edit: perhaps the belief is persistent because there&#x27;s something to it.] Simplified models are one thing. Simplistic models are non-helpful.<p>Discussion question: In my experience, I&#x27;ve noticed a few times when I&#x27;ve been stared at, and I&#x27;ve stared at people who&#x27;ve spontaneously looked right at me. Do you have any memorable experiences of this phenomenon?<p>Perhaps people are most likely to notice they&#x27;re being stared at when the starer is the opposite gender?<p>I guess I&#x27;m going to have to read Dr. Sheldrake&#x27;s book.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sheldrake.org&#x2F;books-by-rupert-sheldrake&#x2F;the-sense-of-being-stared-at-and-other-unexplained-powers-of-human-minds" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sheldrake.org&#x2F;books-by-rupert-sheldrake&#x2F;the-sens...</a>