telepathy

Telepathy is the alleged ability to communicate information between minds without the use of known sensory channels, physical signals, or conventional communication methods. In practice, proponents describe both the transmission of specific thoughts or ideas (cognitive telepathy) and the sharing of emotional states (emotional telepathy).

The term telepathy was coined in the late 19th century by researchers associated with the Society for Psychical Research, including Frederic W. H. Myers, to denote this purported mental communication. Interest in telepathy grew during the early 20th century with informal experiments and surveys. Prominent laboratory studies in parapsychology included the use of Zener cards to test "telepathic" guesswork, notably by J. B. Rhine and colleagues, though methodologies and interpretations were contested.

Scientific evaluation: Telepathy has not been demonstrated under rigorous, repeatable conditions. Numerous controlled experiments have yielded results near chance or with small, inconsistent effects that fail to meet acceptance criteria for evidence. Critics point to methodological flaws, publication bias, and sensory leakage. Consequently, telepathy is not considered a credible phenomenon by the mainstream scientific community, and it remains within the domain of parapsychology rather than established science.

Related concepts include dream telepathy and other reported forms, as well as purported long-distance intuitions. In popular culture, telepathy is a common trope and subject of fictional works, speculative theories, and personal experiences reported by individuals, though such accounts lack universally accepted evidentiary support.

Current status: In the scientific mainstream, telepathy is regarded as unproven; but research programs in parapsychology continue in some institutions with cautious experimental designs. No widely accepted demonstration has emerged.