Ben Alderson-day
Presence
The strange science of the unseen other
We all know the feeling: you’re alone but it’s like there’s someone there with you – a mysterious presence lurking just out of sight. Throughout history this experience has been the subject of religious and supernatural speculation. But does science have the answer?
In Presence, psychologist Ben Alderson-Day digs into historical accounts and contemporary cases of ‘felt presence’, hunting for the key to unlock this strange phenomenon. He interviews ultrarunners and ocean rowers, who often report the sensation of being accompanied on their journeys, and examines the latest work on sleep paralysis, dementia and Parkinson’s, conditions closely associated with feeling the presence of someone or something that isn’t there.
Ben Alderson-Day
Ben Alderson-Day is a Professor of Psychology and the Co-Director of the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities at Durham University. He is the co-founder of the Early Career Hallucinations Research group and the Scientific Chair of the International Consortium on Hallucinations Research. A specialist in atypical cognition and mental health, his work spans cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, philosophy and child development. He has written for The Guardian, TIME Magazine, Aeon, and Reader’s Digest. He lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with his wife and two daughters.
‘Presence is a fascinating read. The writing is lively and the stories are compelling.’
JASON ARUNN MURUGESU, THE NEW SCIENTIST
News
June 9, 2025
Presence at York Festival of Ideas
Ben will be talking about Presence at York Festival of Ideas (University of York) on June 9th at 6.30pm. Tickets are free and available here.
May 28, 2025
Presence meets How We Break: A conversation with Vincent Deary (Waterstones Newcastle)
Ben will be joining Professor Vincent Deary (Northumbria University) for an evening of conversation about their books “Presence” and “How We Break” on May 28th 2025 (7.30pm). You can book tickets here.
March 25, 2025
Presence: The Strange Science of the Unseen Other released in paperback
Presence is released in paperback by Manchester University Press with a new cover design by Jonathan Pelham.
janUARY 21, 2025
Presence on “Presence”
Ben watched Stephen Soderbergh’s claustrophobic new film “Presence” for the Guardian Film section.
FEBRUARY 22, 2024
The Five Best Books on Hallucinations
Ben spoke to Sophie McBain (New Statesman/Guardian) for Five Books about the writers that inspired Presence, including RD Laing, Oliver Sacks, and Ruth Ozeki.
December 15, 2023
Presence wins BPS Book Award
Ben was delighted to receive a British Psychological Society Book Award (2023) in their Popular Science category. For more details of the award and other BPS awards, see here.