Can We Help Just by Good Intentions? A Meta-Analysis of Experiments on Distant Intention Effects
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Plain English Summary
Can simply wishing someone well from afar actually help them concentrate? In the AFFE experiments (short for "attention focusing facilitation"), a person stares at a candle and hits a button whenever their mind wanders, while a distant helper either sends supportive intentions or does nothing, randomly switching between the two. Pooling eleven studies with 576 sessions from three continents, the meta-analysis found a tiny but statistically real effect (d = 0.11) -- people's focus was slightly better during "help" periods. Here's the kicker: this effect size lines up almost perfectly with two other meta-analyses on related "distant intention" experiments covering 62 total studies, all landing around d = 0.11. That eerie convergence across different labs, methods, and cultures is the strongest card in the argument that distant mental intention does something -- even if that something is small.
Actual Paper Abstract
Objectives: In recent years, several clinical trials have assessed effects of distant healing. The basic question raised by these studies is whether a positive distant intention can be related to some outcome in a target person. There is a speci๏ฌc simple experimental setup that tests such a basic assumption. The task is to focus attention and to indicate unwanted mind wandering by a button press while at the same time a second remote person is either supporting this performance or not according to a randomized schedule. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the overall effect of this experimental approach. Methods: A systematic literature search yielded 11 eligible studies, with 576 single sessions and almost identical design, that were conducted on three different continents. Study parameters were extracted and combined with a random-effects model. Results: The model yielded an overall effect size of d = 0.11 ( p = 0.03). Furthermore, there was a signi๏ฌcant difference of the frequency of button presses between studies conducted in Indonesia and the Western hemisphere ( p < 0.001). Two (2) similar experimental setups applying electrodermal activity as dependent variable meta-analyzed earlier showed almost identical effect sizes. This can be considered as mutual validation of the three data sets. Conclusions: The hypothesis of the positive effect of benevolent intentions is supported by the data presented. It is concluded that especially the intentional aspect common to all three different tasks may be responsible for these unorthodox ๏ฌndings. These ๏ฌnding may have implications for distant healing research and health care as well as for meditation performance.
Research Notes
The only meta-analysis dedicated to the AFFE paradigm; its convergence with Schmidt et al. 2004's EDA-DMILS and remote-staring meta-analyses at d ~ 0.11 is a central argument in the distant intentionality evidence base and relevant to the distant healing debate (Controversy #5).
Eleven attention focusing facilitation experiments (AFFE) with 576 sessions across three continents were meta-analyzed. In each study, a participant focused on a candle and pressed a button upon noticing mind-wandering, while a remote helper either directed supportive intention or not, following a randomized epoch schedule. A random-effects model yielded d = 0.11 (p = 0.03, 95% CI [0.01, 0.22]). Balinese participants pressed the button roughly five times less often than Western participants (p < 0.001), though the culture ร condition interaction was not significant. Comparison with two earlier meta-analyses of related DMILS paradigms (EDA-DMILS, d = 0.106; Remote Staring, d = 0.128) revealed convergent effect sizes across 62 studies and 1,970 sessions, suggesting a genuine if small distant-intention effect.
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Related Papers
Cites
- The Efficacy of "Distant Healing": A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials โ Astin, John A (2000)
- Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in Cardiac Bypass Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Trial of Uncertainty and Certainty of Receiving Intercessory Prayer โ Benson, Herbert (2006)
- Evidence for Correlations Between Distant Intentionality and Brain Function in Recipients: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis โ Achterberg, J (2005)
- Consciousness Interactions with Remote Biological Systems: Anomalous Intentionality Effects โ Braud, William G (1991)
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๐ Cite this paper
Schmidt, Stefan (2012). Can We Help Just by Good Intentions? A Meta-Analysis of Experiments on Distant Intention Effects. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2011.0321
@article{schmidt_2012_help,
title = {Can We Help Just by Good Intentions? A Meta-Analysis of Experiments on Distant Intention Effects},
author = {Schmidt, Stefan},
year = {2012},
journal = {Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine},
doi = {10.1089/acm.2011.0321},
}