Overview
Cognitive scientist Ben Alderson‑Day appeared on the Jack Roycroft‑Sherry podcast to discuss his new book Presence: The Strange Science of the Unseen Other. The 45‑minute conversation examined how the human brain can generate the vivid sensation of an unseen companion during stressful or ambiguous moments, and how that phenomenon intersects with reports of spirits, hauntings, and even contemporary UFO/UAP sightings. Alderson‑Day framed the experience as a neurologically grounded hallucination rather than a paranormal event, emphasizing the importance of rigorous research for understanding both clinical and cultural accounts.
Origins of the Research
The investigation of “presence” began with the “Hearing the Voice” project at Durham University, a decade‑long interdisciplinary study funded by the Wellcome Trust. While documenting auditory hallucinations, researchers repeatedly encountered participants describing a felt “other” who was neither speaking nor visible. Alderson‑Day noted that these accounts have been recorded since at least 2013, but have been largely overlooked in traditional psychological literature. The pandemic provided the impetus for his book, allowing him to synthesize field notes, experimental data, and historical anecdotes into a single narrative.
Contexts in Which Presence Appears
Alderson‑Day highlighted several domains where the sensation of an unseen companion is reported. The “Third Man Factor”—a phenomenon reported by mountaineers, sailors, and explorers—was illustrated with Ernest Shackleton’s 1916 South Georgia trek, where three men each felt a guiding “fourth figure.” In high‑performance sports, athletes sometimes “hear” a coach’s voice or sense a supportive presence, an involuntary form of social imagery that can sharpen focus. Clinically, presence is linked to psychosis, bereavement, and sleep paralysis, often taking on a more malevolent tone that can exacerbate distress.
Neurological Mechanisms
Two key neuroscientific findings help explain how the brain constructs these experiences. First, stimulation of the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ)—a hub that integrates sensory input and maps the body in space—has been shown to evoke a “shadow figure” mirroring the subject’s posture (Arzy, Blanke et al., 2006). Second, the “Presence Robot” experiment at EPFL (2014) demonstrated that desynchronizing a participant’s movement from tactile feedback on the back reliably induced a sensation of a nearby entity. Alderson‑Day summarized the mechanism: “When the brain’s internal body map is disrupted, it can project a sense of self outward, which the mind then interprets as an external agent.”
Implications for AI and UFO/UAP Reports
The discussion turned to modern technology, noting that large language models (LLMs) and increasingly human‑like AI tap into an evolutionary “personification instinct.” When users interact with sophisticated conversational agents, the brain may generate a felt presence that feels relational, blurring the line between digital interaction and perceived companionship. Alderson‑Day cautioned that this same instinct could influence UFO/UAP testimonies, where ambiguous visual or auditory cues are readily filled in by the brain’s propensity to attribute agency. He emphasized that recognizing the neurocognitive basis of presence does not diminish the subjective reality of witnesses but provides a framework for systematic investigation.
Future Directions and Clinical Relevance
Ongoing clinical trials in the United Kingdom are testing whether the intensity or frequency of presence sensations can serve as biomarkers for psychosis severity. Alderson‑Day also described his “Readerbank” project,
