Chapter 1
The legend of the extra traveler
Chapter 2
Inside the survival brain
Chapter 3
Global encounters with the guardian
Ch 2 · Inside the survival brain
prysmicc The survival brain
When you're pushed to the edge, your brain builds a friend to guide you back home
prysmicc Extreme loneliness and sensory deprivation force the brain to manufacture social contact for survival.
Fun Fact
Shadow people: Scientists can trigger a phantom companion in healthy lab patients by applying electrical currents to the brain's temporoparietal junction.
prysmicc Low oxygen levels at high altitudes alter brain chemistry, making climbers prone to vivid hallucinations.
Glossary
temporoparietal junction (noun)
A region of the brain that integrates sensory information to construct self-awareness and spatial orientation. In 2002, neuroscientist Olaf Blanke stimulated this region to artificially trigger an illusory sense of presence.
A region of the brain that integrates sensory information to construct self-awareness and spatial orientation. In 2002, neuroscientist Olaf Blanke stimulated this region to artificially trigger an illusory sense of presence.
Quiz
What environmental trigger involves a lack of external stimuli, often causing the brain to hallucinate companions?
BETA
prysmicc Choose survival paths in extreme conditions to learn how the mind creates a secret sidekick.
Quiz
Which hormone, released during extreme stress, is closely linked to altered states of consciousness?
Quiz
Which specific brain region is primarily associated with the 'Third Man' sensation?
Quiz
What physical condition, caused by low oxygen at high altitudes, can trigger survival hallucinations?
Quiz
When scientists artificially stimulate the temporoparietal junction in lab patients, what do patients often report?
Quiz
Why do evolutionary psychologists think the 'Third Man' phenomenon actually helps survivors?