Skeptics Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [hallucinations]

A hallucination is a sensory perception of something that does not exist.

Hallucinations can be experienced by any of the five senses, sight, touch, taste, hearing, or smell, but are typically associated with sight and hearing. Hallucinations, which are almost always experienced in a wakened state, should be differentiated from dreaming, which is a normal phenomenon experienced while in a sleeping state.

Hallucinations can be experienced by a single person or, reportedly, by a group of people. Although similar, hallucinations should also be distinguished from mirages, which can usually be explained by physical disturbances in the atmosphere.

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Does a -9 dB room cause hallucinations?

Does being in an anechoic chamber cause hallucinations? According to several blogs (that likely copy each other), it does. The Orfield Laboratory in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States is reported to be the quietest room in the world…
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Did sailors mistake sea cows for mermaids?

I've heard theories that mermaid sightings were the result of sex-starved sailors mistaking manatees, dugongs or Steller's sea cows for beautiful women. History.com claims Columbus did this, "How I met your mother" has an episode named after the…
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"La fée verte": Is Absinthe hallucinogenic?

Absinthe is a distilled, alcoholic beverage, sometimes referred to as "la fée verte" (the green fairy). Absinthe was banned in many countries during the early 20th century: 1906 - Brazil and Belgium, 1909 - Netherlands, 1910 - Switzerland,…
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Do hallucinogens cause people to jump out of the window?

Back in the 90s, the DARE program made a big point about how hallucinogenic drugs cause people to jump out the window because they think they can fly, or similar things. Various other sources (such as frequent drug users) claim that the reality is…
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Is there a correlation between coffee (or caffeine) and auditory hallucinations?

The news is full of claims today that 5 cups of coffee a day is enough to cause auditory hallucination. Professor Simon Crowe, of La Trobe University in Melbourne... ‘The combination of caffeine and stress affect the likelihood of an individual…
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