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Geopsychology: Geophysical matrix and human behavior
Abstract
The sophistication of modern technology and statistical analyses is sufficient to fully explore the potential of geopsychology or "the geopsyche". It is defined as the relationship between the complex matrix of static and time-varying geophysical and geochemical variables within a locality and human behavior. Geomagnetic variations, sufficient to explain about 10% of the variance, have been reliably associated with cardiovascular stability and the brain's cerebral sensitivity. There is strong correlational evidence that long-term geophysical fluctuations may shift a population's cognitive style and its responses to environmental crises. Two sites within Ontario, Canada are considered proofs of concept. In one site, associated with marked mineralization and strong local gradients in the geomagnetic field, there is an aggregation of creative individuals who report that "the place" is responsible for their elevated productivity. In another site, the apparent interaction between tectonic strain, hydrological loading within a magnetite mine, and the construction of a cell phone communication tower produced unusual brain-frequency magnetic fields that have been associated with an epidemic of intuitive and "spiritual" experiences within tens of thousands of visitors. We suggest that the optimal creativity and adaptability of future populations may require determination of the empirical congruence between the person's neurocognitive profile and the geophysical environment.
... ~0.1-0.2 SD group differences or ~5-15% shared variance) [2,7]. Second, existing studies have tended to employ relatively broad or non-specific operational definitions of aggressive behaviour. ...
... However, reactive/impulsive and instrumental subtypes of aggressive behaviour involve differences in the nature of the aggressive behaviour as well as its social context and neuroanatomical underpinnings [10,11]. Because geopsychological effects may operate via multiple distinct and behaviour-specific geoneurobiological mechanisms [1,2,12,13], effects could be diluted by tallying multiple distinct subtypes of aggressive behaviour under a common metric. Finally, previous studies of the geopsychology of aggression have tended to rely on methods of data analysis that are not robust to outliers or heterogeneity of variance across groups or factor levels, which could confound effect size estimates. ...
... As with the manifold established biological effects resulting from exposure to Wi-Fi and related anthropogenic microwave-frequency electromagnetic fields [54], there are likely to be multiple distinct solar-geophysical signals and biological transduction substrates implicated in the spectrum of geopsychological phenomena [1,2,7,12,13,40,42]. We assume that a combination of molecular, cellular, and neuroarchitectural/neuroanatomical characteristics underlies the primary susceptibility of a particular behaviour to solar-geophysical influence. ...
Formal scientific study of the geopsychology of human aggression dates back at
least a century and has consistently demonstrated a positive association between
solar-geomagnetic activity and aggressive behaviour. Advances in the theories,
methodologies, and practical applications of geopsychology could therefore
contribute to collective efforts to comprehend, to forecast, and to develop
interventions for aggressive behaviours such as those seen in terrorism. This
requires a rigorous and precise estimate of the magnitude of association between
solar-geomagnetic activity and aggression using a representative, contemporary
sample of strictly-operationalized behaviour. Here we show that days in recent
history (1970-2018) with the lowest levels of instrumental human aggression
(number of casualty-associated terrorism incidents) also had the lowest levels of
solar and geomagnetic activity, and that stepwise increases in human aggression
were mirrored by progressive increases in solar activity. We used Bayesian
methods robust to outliers and heterogeneity of variance to analyze the most
comprehensive and contemporary global database of terrorism incidents available,
which included more than 106,000 unique instances of instrumental aggression
spanning 48 years. We conclude that there is a small, nonzero promotional effect of
solar-geomagnetic activity on terrorism-related aggression. This may reflect the
fact that solar-geomagnetic activity serves as a zeitgeber that coordinates the
expression of instrumental aggression across an aggregation of susceptible
individuals. We propose that many behaviours – even instrumental acts such as
terrorism which are presumed to involve a degree of planning and intention – may
be subject to subtle geopsychological induction or suppression.
... [9] A special discovery over the past 2 decades is that ambient electromagnetic fluctuations, such as geomagnetic activity, can influence humans' physiology, psychology, and behavior, [10] and studies have shown moderate strength correlations between increased geomagnetic activity and behavioral inferences of cerebral activity. [11] Ghione et al [12] found positive associations between geomagnetic activity and systolic/diastolic blood pressure. Furthermore, Burch et al [13] reported that increasing geomagnetic activity with elevated 60 Hz MF is associated with reduced nocturnal excretion of a melatonin metabolite in humans, meaning that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) affect the brain and sleep. ...
... Wang et al [14] reported a strong, specific human brain response to ecologically relevant rotations of Earth-strength magnetic fields. Following geomagnetic stimulation, electroencephalography (EEG) showed a drop in amplitude of alpha oscillations (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13) in a repeatable manner. In 1954, Winfried Otto Schumann reported a natural extremely low-frequency field (7.83 Hz) called the Schumann resonance (SR) frequency in Earth's atmosphere that propagates EMF waves. ...
Introduction:
Accumulated studies revealed that electromagnetic field can affect human brain and sleep. We explored the effectiveness of electromagnetic field [Schumann resonance (SR)] on nocturia symptoms, quality of life, and sleep in patients with nocturia.
Methods:
This is a randomized, open-label, and active-controlled study, in which 35 participants were randomized into 2 groups. Group A received oxybutynin and the SR device for 12 weeks, while the active-control group received only the medication. We followed these patients every 4 weeks with a number of questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) for sleep, the American Urological Association Symptom Score (AUASS) for nocturia symptoms, and the Nocturia-Quality-of-Life-questionnaire (N-QOL) for quality of life. Descriptive statistics, pair t-tests, Chi-squared tests, and repeated measures were applied for data analysis.
Results:
No significant difference was found in the demographic data between the 2 groups. The AUASS, N-QOL, PSQI, and ESS total scores were significantly improved in the SR-sleep-device group (P < .001, P = .005, P < .001, P = .001) after treatment, but no significant change was found in the active-control group. Several variables of AUASS in the SR-sleep-device group were significantly improved, especially streaming and sleeping (both P = .001), and subjective sleep quality and sleep efficiency also demonstrated significant improvement (both P < .001).
Conclusions:
Our study revealed that electromagnetic field (SR) as an add-on can improve not only sleep and quality of life but also nocturia symptoms in patients with nocturia. These findings suggest that SR can be effective for sleep disturbance secondary to physical disease, which can be a new application of the electromagnetic field.
... Social conflicts such as war correlate with geo-psychological and solar cycles, insofar as social revolutions occur during solar maxima (Tchijevsky, 1938;Mikulecky, 2007; as cited in Mulligan et al., 2010;p. 122). ...
... A weak (r=.20) association was found between aversive headache experiences and sferics, which are electromagnetic pulses associated with weather processes. Similar correlation strengths (r=.33) between headaches and sferics were found also found during the fall months in Germany (Stoupel, 2002;Walaeh et al., 2001;Vaitl et al., 2001; as cited in Mulligan et al., 2010). Increased monthly and yearly geomagnetic disturbance in Russia was associated with over 2000 heart failures (Novikova and colleagues, 1968; as cited in Persinger, 1980;p. ...
This research explores Biometeorology, which is the relationship between the
environment and human behavior. Previous research has indicated that meteorological events such as lunar cycles, solar activity, temperature, and humidity have been extensively documented to affect human psychophysiology through systemic variation. The purpose of this document is to explore the effects of environmental factors on typical everyday aggregate behaviors in distinct, unique and separate investigations that relate to participation in sporting events and economic activities in order to determine if these naturally occurring influences are genuine. For example, local weather related and extra-terrestrial phenomena were collected during time- stamped Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) acquisition in the National Football league (NFL) for 645 concussed players from 2012-2015. Components of the Earth’s geomagnetic field were also documented in relation to global search tendencies for highly emotional states in addition to stock market indices. Furthermore, solar and lunar cycles were recorded during the monumental rise in the cryptocurrency market in order to identify if these cyclical background patterns systemically altered interest in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) or influenced their price index in-and-of-itself. The results indicate that intrinsic capacities of the game of football inherently impacted injury severity and return to play considerations. TBI’s did however, vary as a function of geo-coordination and were most pronounced in the Northwest U.S. Injury severity was also found to be greatest during increased geomagnetic intensities. Lunar contributions also appeared to play a central role in injury acquisition insofar as TBI player height weight and injury severity were predicted by solar and geomagnetic variables of interest during the full moon. Aggregate search behavior on the Internet of Things (IoT) was found to correlate with magnetic variability, geomagnetic intensity as well as Dow Jones price movement and trading volume. Finally, traditional technical analysis indicators closely followed cryptocurrency price.However, Bitcoins Aroon up and down was found to cycle with the Moon, while Ethereum’s Heiken Ashi displayed a relationship with the Sun. Internet interest in Ethereum was found to have significant associations with the Earth’s geomagnetic field, the Sun and the Moon which was enhanced during specific alignments of these heavenly bodies. In summary, seemingly
random events and aggregate group behaviors are intimately associated with external
interconnected dynamics.
... 24 Previous physics research showed "an electroencephalographic power revealed particular associations with the right parietal lobe for theta activity and the right frontal region for gamma activity," and some studies have shown moderate strength correlations between increases in geomagnetic activity and various behavioral inferences of cerebral activity. 25 Wang et al (2019) used an electroencephalogram (EEG) study and reported a strong, specific human brain response to ecologically relevant rotations of Earth-strength magnetic fields. Following geomagnetic stimulation, a drop in amplitude of EEG alpha oscillations (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13) Hz) occurred in a repeatable manner. ...
Purpose
Accumulated studies revealed that electromagnetic field can affect human brain and sleep, and the extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field, Schumann resonance, may have the potential to reduce insomnia symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the responses of patients with insomnia to a non-invasive treatment, Schumann resonance (SR), and to evaluate its effectiveness by subjective and objective sleep assessments.
Patients and Methods
We adopted a double-blinded and randomized design and 40 participants (70% female; 50.00 ± 13.38 year) with insomnia completed the entire study. These participants were divided into the SR-sleep-device group and the placebo-device group and were followed up for four weeks. The study used polysomnography (PSG) to measure objective sleep and used sleep diaries, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and visual analogy of sleep satisfaction to measure subjective sleep. The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to evaluate quality of life. Chi-square test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Wilcoxon test were used to analyze the data.
Results
About 70% of the subjects were women, with an average age of 50±13.38 years and an average history of insomnia of 9.68±8.86 years. We found that in the SR-sleep-device group, objective sleep measurements (sleep-onset-latency, SOL, and total-sleep-time, TST) and subjective sleep questionnaires (SOL, TST, sleep-efficiency, sleep-quality, daytime-sleepiness, and sleep-satisfaction) were significantly improved after using the SR-sleep-device; in the placebo-device group, only such subjective sleep improvements as PSQI and sleep-satisfaction were observed.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that the SR-sleep-device can reduce the insomnia symptoms through both objective and subjective tests, with minimal adverse effects. Future studies can explore the possible mechanism of SR and health effects and, with a longer tracking time, verify the effectiveness and side effects.
Previous correlations between geomagnetic activity and quantitative changes in electroencephalographic power revealed particular associations with the right parietal lobe for theta activity and the right frontal region for gamma activity. In the present experiment subjects were exposed to either no field (sham conditions) or to either 20 nT or 70 nT, 7 Hz, amplitude modulated (mHz range) magnetic fields for 30 min. Quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG) measurements were completed before, during, and after the field exposures. After about 10 min of exposure theta power over the right parietal region was enhanced for the 20 nT exposure but suppressed for the 70 nT exposure relative to sham field exposures. The effect dissipated by the end of the exposure. These results support the contention that magnetic field fluctuations were primarily responsible for the significant geomagnetic-QEEG correlations reported in several studies.
Summary.-In this paper the explanations put forward by lunar advocates to account for a "lunar effect" on human behavior are critically appraised. The hypotheses considered are ozone, moonlight, gravity, tidal force, geo- magnetism, electromagnetism, weather, ions, and ELF waves. It is concluded that none of these are sufficient to explain the alleged effects of the moon on human behavior. In view of (a) the lack of a satisfactory mechanism, (b) the lack of a reliable connection between lunar periodicities and human behavior, and (c) the generally negative results obtained in studies, it is suggested that the scientific community exercise great caution with regard to further studies claiming lunar effects on human behavior.
Interest
Results presented concern influence of increased geomagnetic activity on some human physiological parameters. The blood pressure and heart rate of 86 volunteers were measured on working days in autumn 2001 (01/10–09/11) and in spring 2002 (08/04–28/05). These periods were chosen because of maximal expected geomagnetic activity. Altogether 2799 recordings were obtained and analysed. Questionnaire information about subjective psycho-physiological complaints was also gathered. MANOVA was employed to check the significance of the influence of three factors on the physiological parameters under consideration. The factors were the following: (1) planetary geomagnetic activity level estimated by Ap-index and divided into five levels; (2) gender – males and females; (3) blood pressure degree – persons in the group examined were divided into hypotensive, normotensive and hypertensive. Post hoc analysis was performed to elicit the significance of differences in the factors’ levels. The average arterial blood pressure of the group was found to increase significantly with the increase of geomagnetic activity level. The average increment of systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the group examined reached 9%. This effect was present irrespectively of gender. Results obtained suppose that hypertensive persons have the highest sensitivity and the hypotensive persons have the lowest sensitivity of the arterial blood pressure to increase of geomagnetic activity. The results did not show significant changes in the heart rate. The percentage of the persons who reported subjective psycho-physiological complaints was also found to increase significantly with the geomagnetic activity increase and the highest sensitivity was revealed for the hypertensive females.
The relationship between geomagnetic activity around the time of birth to subsequent responding on an anxiety test was examined in 13-16 year old high school students. The students were given a questionnaire designed to measure "state" and "trait" anxiety, and the scores on this questionnaire were correlated with daily geomagnetic activity measures (Ap index) for an 11 day period centered around the day of birth for each subject. Females showed a significant positive correlation between "state" anxiety and geomagnetic activity on the day before birth. Males did not show a significant relationship. When only high "state" anxiety female scores were used in the analysis, an increase in the magnitude of the correlation was obtained. These results confirm and extend previous findings by Persinger and Janes of a positive relationship between anxiety and perinatal geomagnetic activity. The present data are also consistent with previous laboratory studies on animals. Increased susceptibility of the organism during the birth process to environmental factors such as magnetic field changes, may account for the obtained results.
We present results of an analysis of the daily numbers of Traffic Accidents registered by the St. Petersburg's Medical Emergency Service in 1987-1989. For the first time we identified and evaluated all periodical effects, connected to social and meteorological factors and we determined with high accuracy the influence of intense geomagnetic storms on the incidence of Traffic Accidents. We found annual and semiannual variations that seem to be mainly due to social and meteorological effects. Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) show also the existense of peaks at periods 7.0-, 3.5-, 2.3- and 15.3-day. Superposed-epoch analyses show that the first three frequencies are due to a very stable non-sinusoidal signal connected to the weekly structure of social life; the minimum values are found on Sundays and on public holidays. The 15.3-day period is due to a semi-monthly signal most likely related to the discrete payment of wages in Russia. We investigated the effect of geomagnetic storms analysing the Traffic-Accident data cleaned up by all variations of social and meteorological origin. We found that the occurrence of geomagnetic storms, associated with large decreases in the cosmic ray intensity (Forbush decreases), increase the Traffic-Accident rate by 17.4 ± 3.1%. The probability that this increase is occurring by chance is ~ 10-7. This effect is observed only during the descending phase of Forbush decreases, when the Earth crosses the large interplanetary perturbation propagating from the Sun and producing, on the Earth, the most bio-effective geomagnetic storms.
Normal, right-handed human volunteers listened to a 5-min story and were then exposed to 15 min (3 successive segments of 5 min on/5 min off) of magnetic pulses (1 microT; 10 mG) whose temporal structure has been shown to enhance long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices. There were four conditions: no stimulation, bilateral stimulation (across both temporoparietal regions), primary stimulation of the left temporoparietal lobes or primary stimulation of the right temporoparietal lobes. Reconstructions of the story were completed by the same subjects within 30 min (intermediate memory) and about 10 days (long-term memory) later. The strongest effect size (25% of the variance was accommodated) was due to the approximately two fold increase in the numbers of accurate details for the long-term memories for subjects who had received the left hemispheric stimulation. These results suggest that contemporary technology may have the capability to access fundamental algorithms of the neuronal activity associated with declarative memory.
East of Bancroft, Ontario, metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks lie tightly folded between a syntectonic granitic batholith in the southeast and a complex of feldspathic gneisses and plutons to the north. At least three generations of folds are well displayed in marble and calc-silicate layers. F1 folds are isoclines with few hinges exposed and an axial-surface foliation that closely parallels stratification. F2 folds are dominant on all scales. These folds bend the stratiform foliation, vary in tightness, and are upright to overturned northwest toward the gneiss complex. During and after F2 deformation, minerals of the amphibolite facies crystallized. F3 folds, only locally present, are open and recumbent; folding was virtually postmetamorphic. Axes of minor F2 folds and parallel mineral lineations commonly plunge at low angles along the axial traces; but toward the gneiss complex and near the granitic batholith, the axes progressively increase in rake until, as in the gneiss, folds are reclined and plunge approximately down the dip of axial surfaces. Variations in thickness of folded layers indicate that folds have undergone flattening and that this strain progressively increased with increase in rake. The evidence supports the concept that during medium-grade metamorphism, constriction near plutons or feldspathic massifs led to areal changes in shape and orientation of the dominant folds.
Positive responses (dowsing signals) were evoked from 14 male "dowsers" by exposure to artificial electromagnetic (ac) fields. When the kidney area was shielded, such responses failed to occur. This suggests that magnetic sensors exist in man, probably located in the renal vicinity. Extinction of response was also observed when the head was shielded. This suggests the existence of additional magnetic sensory apparatus in the brain. Discrimination among magnetic patterns (signatures) is hypothesized to account for the apparent ability of dowsers to find specific underground substances, notably water. Such discrimination would require functional association of the sensory apparatus with a signature processor. Data are presented suggesting that this sensor-processor complex does indeed exist and may be located in the vicinity of the pineal gland.