Abstract

A sample of 200 randomly selected people was surveyed in Santa Cruz County, California, to investigate the frequency and nature of anticipations of telephone calls. Of those surveyed, 78% said that they have had the experience of telephoning someone who said that they were just thinking about telephoning them; 47% said that they had had the experience of knowing who was calling them when the phone rang without any possible cue; and 68% said that they had thought about a person whom they have not seen for a while, who had then telephoned them that same day. A higher proportion of women than men gave positive answers to these questions. These results are in general agreement with 2 previous surveys in England, although there were several significant differences, which are discussed. These surveys reveal that seemingly telepathic experiences in connection with telephone calls are remarkably common. The authors suggest ways that this phenomenon can be investigated empirically.