What is the explanation for simultaneous thoughts between people?

Question

I have heard of many people (including myself) who have simultaneous ideas, creations, inventions or any thoughts of improvement at one time, only to see the very same idea, invention created by someone else across the globe a few months later. Someone told me that there is a scientific theory for this. Does any one have any clue why this happens?

Answer 1

There's more then 6 billion people on the planet.  Some one somewhere is bound to have the same thought as you.

Answer 2

It's called coincidence.

When it comes to inventions, some technological prerequisites are often necessary and, without those, earlier people didn't have a chance to come up with this or that.  Powered flight is one example of something being invented independently within a couple of years.  The Wrights were beaten of the ground by Gustav Weißkopf and a Brazilian (whose name presently escapes me), and all were working separately.

Answer 3

Similar experiences, similar needs, and similar thought processes.

Answer 4

It's not pure coincidence that many inventions arise spontaneously from different people.  Usually there is a need for something new, and there is enough technology/knowledge to make that invention possible.  It's not surprising that the lightbulb came about shortly after the commercial availability and scientific understanding of electricty; airplanes came about shortly after internal combustion engines became lightweight enough, calculus was invented just as modern physics was being founded.  All of these had at least two "inventors" at the same time.  Most likely, each of these inventions and more had lots of people thinking and working on them, but only the fastest and smartest inventors make the race for technology to the finish.  Remember, a lot of inventions and discoveries are races between scientists to get the results published first.  Read the book "the double helix" by James Watson-- co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, and read about how many other prominant scientists were close behind--by just a few months--in making the same discovery.  The information needed for that discovery had just come out.  Not a coincidence.

But there is one other thing--a scientific "theory" if you wish.  It's called "data mining".  It's the fact that humans are great at seeing coincidences.  It's the way our mind works.  You will see all sorts of "one-in-a-million" chances happen during your lifetime.  These all seem amazing to us, but the fact is, there are billions, trillions, and even more things that happen all around us all the time that go unnoticed.  What we notice is not coincidence, it is selected out of all the trillions of possibilities that are boring and our mind doesn't care about.  For example, you can probably find out that the stock market always rises on mondays after a full moon in months that contain the letter "m" or something.  Someone will think this is some amazing coincidence, but I wouldn't bet my money on it.  Data mining is hindsight 20/20.  It sees all sorts of patterns in the past, but can make no predictions about the future.  So, you and your friend may have just been thinking about Harry Potter at the exact same time--wow!  One in a thousand chance!  But then there are thousands of times that you and your friend are thinking about other stuff, and you don't remember or notice those times, so it is inevitable that you will eventually stumble across and take notice of the few times that you are thinking about the same thing.

Answer 5

telepathy

i am a twin and we always share the thoughts, ideas, even fashion.  we'll pick out an outfit, she's in austin i'm in corpus christi, and we'll see eachother six months later wearing similar clothes!  we always call eachother at the same time, or when one is thinking of the other.

i believe that if one tries hard enough to reach their inner spirit and sixth sense, if you will, we all have this power.