Are You Sensitive To the Earth’s Magnetic Field?
Not everyone is sensitive to the Earth’s magnetic field. In fact, the majority of people are probably not sensitive. There are likely degrees of sensitivity. There are no definitive tests at present to ascertain whether or not anyone is sensitive to the geomagnetic field. I include the tests below as possible indicators of geomagnetic field sensitivity. Not everyone who is sensitive to geomagnetic fields will pass all the tests, and passing one or more of the tests doesn't prove that someone is sensitive to the geomagnetic field.
To find out if you’re sensitive, first read my Two Great Biological Mysteries article for background, and then answer the following questions:
Do You Suffer From a Psychiatric Disorder?
Having a psychiatric disorder indicates that you may be magnetoreceptive. The reason is that your symptoms may be navigational tools, directing you to magnetic home. I don't have enough information at present to tell what disorders or subtypes of disorders are possibly magnetoreceptive. Symptoms aren’t a reliable indicator. There are many different things which can cause anxiety, depression, tics, mania, psychosis, etc. Magnetoreception is one of the many things. So just having one or more of these symptoms doesn’t mean that you are magnetoreceptive.
Do You Feel Abnormally Different in Different Places?
Feeling abnormally different in different places is another indicator. By “abnormally different” I mean differences that can’t be easily understood or explained. By “different places” I mean places that are separated by some distance, for example New York City versus Miami. These should be places that you've lived in, not just visited for a short time. If you've lived in one place your entire life, then this test will not be applicable to you.
Feeling Normally Different in Different Places
Big City |
Small Town |
Steve loves big cities |
Steve hates small towns |
 |
 |
Above is an example of normal differences. Let’s say that an extraverted man named Steve likes big cities, because he craves stimulation. Steve feels good in New York and London, but not so good in a small town in the middle of nowhere. These are “normal” feelings, because they can be easily understood and explained.
Feeling Abnormally Different in Different Places
New York City |
Miami |
John is depressed in NYC |
John is manic in Miami |
|
 |
Let’s turn to abnormal differences. Let’s say that John, who has bipolar disorder, feels depressed when he’s in New York City, but feels manic in Miami. This difference can’t be easily explained. These are both big cities which vary in many different qualities. Why would he have different symptoms in northern versus southern cities? One possible answer is climate. Maybe John likes warm weather. But this doesn’t explain the extremes of emotion he’s feeling.
Geographic Variation in Symptoms
Unusual and unexplained geographical variation in symptoms can indicate sensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic field. The geomagnetic field varies across the world. Feeling abnormally different in different places can be a response to these magnetic field variations. It could also be an indication that one’s feelings and symptoms follow a psychological magnetic map similar to mine.
It’s easy to attribute these differences in feelings to other things. In the previous example, bipolar John may attribute his Miami mania to nice weather, beaches, and scantily clad women. He may attribute his New York City winter depression to its being cold, dark, overcrowded, and expensive.
As a personal example, I had my first mental breakdown during my freshman year of college at University of Virginia/Charlottesville. During that breakdown, and for many years after, I attributed it to things like the stress of being away from home the first time, of living in a dorm, of making new friends, and keeping up with the coursework in a difficult major (physics). I now look at it differently. Charlottesville is 450 kilometers (280 miles) southwest of my hometown, and the geomagnetic field is much different there versus northern New Jersey. In my opinion, the different geomagnetic field is an important factor in explaining my mental breakdown.
Do You Have a Strong Reaction to Looking at the Sky?
An abnormal reaction when looking at the sky is another indicator of magnetoreceptive ability. My navigational ability is sharpened when looking directly at the early afternoon sky. It seems that my body is reacting to something in the sunlight.
There are certain conditions that you need to follow when testing for this reaction. Time of day is important. Try taking a walk outside in the early afternoon around 1:30 p.m. The exact timing is dependent on your location and season, but this should be at least 6 hours after sunrise and 4 hours before sunset. This test should only be done if you’ve slept in the same bed, at the same bed angle, for four or more consecutive nights. If you've flown in an airplane or been on a high-speed train, you need to wait 4 days before doing this experiment. If you’ve just been in a car, bus, train, or bike, you need to wait 15 minutes before doing this experiment.
Walk around for about five minutes, periodically looking up at the sky (not the sun, but anywhere else in the sky). At the end of the five minutes, do you feel a more intense sensation looking at the sky instead of looking at the ground? If so, make note of what you feel. If you feel depressed or sad, you’re probably in the Negative Zone, which means that you’re north of your magnetic home. If you feel manic or anxious, you’re probably in the Positive Zone, which means that you’re south of your magnetic home. If you feel happy, well, then congratulations: you’re in the Happy Zone! You're in your magnetic home.
Are You Sensitive to the Daylight Saving Time Change?
As I discuss in my Two Great Biological Mysteries page, circadian rhythms have an effect on how I perceive the geomagnetic field, and also on how I feel. Circadian rhythms are approximately 24 hour biological cycles, such as the sleep-wake cycle. The daylight saving time change shifts circadian rhythm relative to the solar (natural) day. If you notice a change in mood after the spring or fall time change, this can indicate geomagnetic field sensitivity. You'll notice the psychological change the day after the time change. For example, if the time change happened 2 a.m. Sunday, you'll notice the mood change Monday.
Do You Have Seasonal Symptoms?
When I lived in North Carolina, I had seasonal effects that I connected to my geomagnetic field sensitivity. The general pattern was that my symptoms would get progressively worse for a month or two before the solstice (both winter and summer), then get better after the solstice. If your depression, mania, anxiety, or any other symptom changes with the seasons, this can be a sign of geomagnetic field sensitivity.
Are You Sensitive to Artificial Magnetic Fields?
An “artificial magnetic field” is a man-made magnetic field. Until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700’s, with a few exceptions the only magnetic fields that humans were exposed to were natural ones (i.e. the geomagnetic field and sunlight). In the past several centuries, humans have created numerous devices, machines, and structures that emit magnetic fields. Steel, power lines, and electrical/electronic appliances emit artificial magnetic fields. Some examples of these in a typical contemporary home environment include innerspring mattresses, steel bed frames and headboards, steel building structures, power lines, wireless Internet routers, cell phones, cordless phones, computers, smoke detectors, home security systems, baby monitors, kitchen appliances, and heating/cooling units. In recent years, with the introduction of wireless networks and devices, we’ve become more and more exposed to these fields.
Being sensitive to artificial magnetic fields when awake or asleep is one strong indicator of magnetorecptive ability. I am not sensitive to most artificial magnetic fields when awake, but am highly sensitive when asleep. When awake, it should be obvious to you if you are sensitive. If you move close to a steel object, or an electrical/electronic appliance or device and feel something, then move away and stop feeling this, then that’s an indication of sensitivity.
When asleep, however, it isn’t obvious. You may experience sleep disturbance, but attribute it to other things. To test for this sensitivity when asleep, try turning off electrical/electronic devices that are close to your bed, switch to a non-magnetic bed (such as an air mattress), move your bed away from sources of steel or large appliances, and see if you sleep any better. If you do, then there’s a good chance that you perceive these artificial magnetic fields when asleep, and that they disturb your sleep.