3 ms·

Suggesting that mirror neurons were ever somehow parapsychology seems like a bit of a stretch.

• Alex3917 17y ago
  Mirror neurons themselves were never parapsychology, but they explain phenomena that were considered paranormal before their discovery: http://health.howstuffworks.com/synesthesia.htm/printable http://health.howstuffworks.com/synesthesia.htm/printable
  • gwern 17y ago
    Hold on. This is a historical question; electromagnetism explains stuff that could be considered paranormal as well, but that stuff wasn't. Were the mirror neuron phenomena actually noticed, classified under parapsychology, and investigated by parapsychologists, producing results that had any connection to their eventual uptake by mainstream psychology/neurology? The link doesn't mention anything like that; if anything, the example of the woman who thought mirror-touching was perfectly normal & universal suggests the opposite.
    • joeyo 17y ago
      No, I strongly doubt Rizzolatti and his colleagues considered their discovery to be parapsychology.