Among people who tend to believe in the supernatural, there is a belief that every person emits energy fields called auras. The existence of the aura is spoken of in various Eastern religions, as well as esoteric beliefs. But what does science say about this? News regularly appears in the world media that certain scientists have proven the existence of an aura. However, the aura is not considered a really existing object, and accordingly is not the subject of study in any scientific disciplines.
The existence of an aura has not been proven by science, but the conclusions of some studies are ambiguous. Photo source: rsute.ru
Contents
- 1 What is an aura
- 2 Can a person see aura
- 3 Is it possible to photograph an aura
- 4 The human body really glows
- 5 Aura does not exist?
What is it aura
The term “aura” comes from the Greek word meaning “breeze.” From a scientific point of view, it is impossible to say what it is, since its existence has not been proven. According to psychics and all sorts of supporters of esotericism, it is a subtle emission of rays of some energy, or life force. It goes beyond the human body and contains various information about a person – his personality, emotional state, physical health, etc.
There is also an opinion that only gifted people – psychics – can see auras. According to another version, everyone can see the aura, but after appropriate preparation. Moreover, the Internet is literally filled with various sites that talk about how to see the aura. However, there is not a single scientific evidence that this is possible.
Psychics often talk a lot about the aura, but not one of them has yet proven the ability to see it. Photo source: adme.media
Can a person see an aura
Scientists have repeatedly tried to find out whether an aura really exists, and whether a person who calls himself a psychic can see it. For example, in 1990, researchers conducted an experiment using a psychic. He was placed in a windowless studio with a partition behind which there were people. Since the volunteers were close to the partition, the aura had to extend beyond it, which means the psychic could see it.
A person with paranormal abilities had to determine how many people were behind the fence. However, he failed to score higher than any other person giving random answers, as reported by IFLScience. In another study, a person hid behind one of four partitions, and a group of psychics had to determine exactly where the person was.
During the experiment, 36 sessions were conducted and about one and a half thousand attempts were made. However, psychics showed even slightly worse results than the control group, that is, ordinary people who do not have any supernatural abilities. Thus, the idea that the aura extends beyond a person by 10 centimeters and can be seen was rejected. Nevertheless, many people continue to believe in psychics, and there is an explanation for this.
The Kirlian effect is not related to the aura. Photo source: dzen.ru
Is it possible to photograph the aura
Proponents of the existence of an aura usually cite photographs as evidence. They were first made by Soviet inventor Semyon Kirlian and his wife Valentina. Back in 1949, they reported that they had discovered a method for displaying the aura. In experiments, a married couple was able to take pictures full of colored clouds around a person, as well as around other objects.
However, the «Kirlian effect» was known to physicists and electrical engineers long before Kirlian’s own experiments. And most importantly, it has nothing to do with the aura. The effect resembles static discharge or lightning. Moreover, it is observed in both biological and inorganic samples.
The effect occurs when an object is placed in an alternating electric field with a frequency of 10-100 kHz. A potential difference of 5 to 30 kV occurs between the electrode and the object under study. In this case, the ionization of air molecules, the formation of a barrier discharge between the object and the electrode, as well as transitions of electrons from low energy levels to higher ones and vice versa are observed.
Japanese scientists have proven that the human body glows. Photo source: theguardian.com
The human body really glows
In 2012, employees from the Tohoku Institute of Technology and Kyoto University proved that the human body can really glow. However, this glow is very weak — to see it, the human eye must be a thousand times more sensitive than it is.
In fact, it was already known that all living things produce small amounts of light as a result of chemical reactions in cells. Moreover, in some living creatures, bioluminescence is so strong that it can be seen with the naked eye. For example, such creatures include fireflies and jellyfish.
The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, says that scientists filmed people for several days using ultra-sensitive cameras. The results showed that the amount of light emitted follows a 24-hour cycle. It peaks at the end of the day and is at its lowest late at night. The brightest light comes from the cheeks, forehead, and neck. And this light is not affected by body temperature.
People glow like jellyfish, but less intensely. Photo source: newsru.cgtn.com
Can this light radiation be called an aura? More likely no than yes, since it does not correspond to ideas about the aura. Bioluminescence is a side effect of metabolic reactions. According to Rainer Ulbrich, Doctor of Physics, Professor in the Department of Neurology, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Göttingen, biophotons are a by-product of metabolism. It is, in fact, light noise that serves no biological function. Moreover, this is a natural and self-evident phenomenon.
Aura does not exist?
Can we, given all of the above, say that the aura does not exist? Some scientists believe that it is too early to draw such conclusions. Moreover, there are studies that confirm the existence of an aura, or more precisely, a certain field around a person. For example, biochemist John Norman Hansen, Ph.D., an employee of the University of Maryland, in his study published in the Journal of Scientific Research, claims to have found evidence of the existence of an energy field around a person.
Scientists have discovered a kind of force field above a person’s head that has no explanation. Photo source: pravda.ru
John Norman Hansen did not try to visually capture the aura with any equipment. Instead, he used a torsion pendulum. The position of this device can be changed using minimal force. The researcher hung a pendulum over the subject's head and saw a change in his movement.
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The author claims to have excluded the influence of air flows and other factors. Therefore, he concluded that the pendulum is influenced by a certain force field that is generated by the subject, that is, the person sitting under the pendulum. However, scientists cannot explain these results, since no force is known, including in the electromagnetic spectrum, that could lead to such a result.