A series of trials have been carried out which strongly indicates that a factor in the ability of a person to attract attention, is indeed the particular state of mind of that person. Certain brain states, and even certain contents of consciousness, seem to be able to generate different level of this attention grabbing quality, (sometimes referred to as presence).

A number of possible hypotheses present themselves for rejection immediately. It is unlikely that there is some as-yet undiscovered force or substrate through which states of mind might be transferred non-materially (c.f. Sheldrake’s ‘The Sense of Being Stared At, 2003′). It is also unlikely, though not physically impossible, that this effect is the result of an underused and possibly unconscious faculty of the senses, such as the sense of smell; maybe people with presence simply smell different. This idea is explored by Teresa Brennan in relation to the ‘Transmission of Affect’ (2004). A third option, which will be offered here, is the hypothesis that certain states of mind or conscious thoughts produce subtle but measurable differences in the physical presentation and behaviour of the person, particularly the co-ordination of different sub-behaviours such as gaze direction, angle of the head, visible breathing patterns, and small movements of the extremities, particularly the fingers.