The evolutionary origin of near-death experiences: a systematic investigation.

[en] Near-death experiences are known from all parts of the world, various times and numerous cultural backgrounds. This universality suggests that near-death experiences may have a biological origin and purpose. Adhering to a preregistered protocol, we investigate the hypothesis that thanatosis, aka death-feigning, a last-resort defense mechanism in animals, is the evolutionary origin of near-death experiences. We first show that thanatosis is a highly preserved survival strategy occurring at all major nodes in a cladogram ranging from insects to humans. We then show that humans under attack by animal, human and 'modern' predators can experience both thanatosis and near-death experiences, and we further show that the phenomenology and the effects of the two overlap. In summary, we build a line of evidence suggesting that thanatosis is the evolutionary foundation of near-death experiences and that their shared biological purpose is the benefit of survival. We propose that the acquisition of language enabled humans to transform these events from relatively stereotyped death-feigning under predatory attacks into the rich perceptions that form near-death experiences and extend to non-predatory situations.

Research Center/Unit :

CHU de Liège-Centre du Cerveau² - ULiège

Disciplines :

Neurology

Author, co-author :

Peinkhofer, Costanza ^✱

Martial, Charlotte ^✱; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA Consciousness - Coma Science Group

Cassol, Helena ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'aérospatiale et mécanique > Ingénierie des véhicules terrestres

Laureys, Steven ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA Consciousness - Coma Science Group

Kondziella, Daniel

^✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.

Language :

English

Title :

The evolutionary origin of near-death experiences: a systematic investigation.

Publication date :

2021

Journal title :

Brain Communications

eISSN :

2632-1297

Publisher :

Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

fcab132

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Name of the research project :

DOCMA project

Funders :

Lundbeck Foundation
Rigshospitalet
Region Hovedstaden
ULiège - Université de Liège
CHU Liège - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
EU - European Union
Bial Foundation
MSF - Mind Science Foundation
EC - European Commission
Fund Generet
FRB - Fondation Roi Baudouin
Mind Care Foundation

Funding text :

The authors were supported by the Lundbeck Foundation; Rigshospitalets forskningspuljer, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital; Region Hovedstaden; Jens Juhl Fonden; Jascha Fonden (D.K.); the University and University Hospital of Liege; the Belgian National Funds for Scientific Research; the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation; the Bial Foundation, the Mind Science Foundation and the European Commission; the Fund Generet; the King Baudouin Foundation; the Mind-Care foundation; and the DOCMA project (C.M., H.C., S.L.).

Commentary :

Available on ORBi :

since 27 August 2021

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