For centuries, the relationship between the human mind and the physical world was debated in philosophy; in more recent times it has become a topic studied by science. Some view mind and matter as entirely separate concepts, while others propose that both mind and matter arise from a deeper, unified reality. One such concept is referred to as the philosophy of dual-aspect monism. In this view, connections between mind and matter may not always occur through direct cause and effect, but arise out of shared patterns of information or meaning.
To explore a dual-aspect monism model at the global scale, our researchers used New Year’s Eve as a case study on how large-scale patterns of human thought or emotion may coincide with measurable changes in the physical world.
The Global Consciousness Project & Mind-Matter Interaction
One of the most ambitious efforts to investigate large-scale mind-matter interaction relationships is the Global Consciousness Project. For more than two decades, researchers have operated a network of electronic truly random number generators distributed around the world. These devices produce sequences of numbers based on unpredictable physical processes, such as electronic noise. Under normal conditions, the output of these devices should remain statistically random.
In our recent study titled New Year’s Eve as a Case Study in Experimental Metaphysics: Exploring Global Consciousness in Random Physical Systems, published in Journal of Scientific Exploration, researchers explored if the randomness in these devices deviated from pure noise during moments when large numbers of people were focused on the same event.
Using New Year’s Eve Data in Mind-Matter Investigations
Few moments bring as many people into shared anticipation as the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve. Millions, perhaps even billions, of people across cultures and time zones direct their attention toward the same moment in time. Globally, these celebrations are also often accompanied by strong emotions, a sense of reflection, and expectations. If the collective attention of large groups of people can have a measurable effect on the physical world, New Year’s Eve may be one of the clearest opportunities to look for it.
In our recent study reviewing mind-matter interactions at a global level, researchers examined data collected via the Global Consciousness Project between 1998 and 2025. Measurements recorded around midnight on New Year’s Eve were compared with data from other midnights throughout the year. Observing changes in randomness on New Year’s Eve, relative to other nights, could help reveal whether collective consciousness may have measurable effects.
Complementary Analyses of New Year’s Eve Data
Detecting subtle changes in randomness requires careful analysis. Instead of relying on a single test, our researchers used complementary methods, each designed to examine structure in the data from a different angle. These methods were used to evaluate for patterns or for behaviours expected for a purely random system to determine if the expected changes (i.e., increase or decrease in data randomness) would occur as predicted. By combining multiple approaches, researchers could determine whether any observed changes in data were consistent and meaningful rather than statistical noise.
The prediction itself was straightforward. If collective anticipation during New Year’s Eve had a measurable influence, certain indicators of structure in data would briefly increase, while measures associated with randomness would decrease in the minutes surrounding midnight.
The Results
The data revealed statistically significant changes observed in the minutes just before to just after midnight on New Year’s Eve compared to all other midnights throughout the year. Also, the strongest statistical deviations tended to appear in time zones with larger populations, suggesting that the scale of collective human engagement may play a role. These changes were detected using multiple independent tests and appeared in the predicted directions, which supports the legitimacy of these findings. Furthermore, as each test measured different aspects of the data, the convergence of results strengthened the possibility that the patterns were not produced by chance alone.
Overall, the findings support that large-scale human attention may coincide with subtle shifts in physical systems designed to behave randomly.
Implications and Insights Regarding Mind-Matter Interactions
If this correlation between collective intent and shifts in physical systems exists, what might it mean?
One possibility is that consciousness is not entirely separate from the physical world, but participates in it in ways we are only beginning to understand. Rather than merely observing a fixed universe, human awareness may be part of a dynamic process in which mental and physical events are more closely linked than previously assumed. This interpretation remains speculative but aligns with theoretical perspectives, such as the aforementioned philosophy of dual-aspect monism, which views mind and matter as deeply interconnected aspects of what Carl Jung called the unus mundus (one world).
Research in this field is still in its early stages, and many questions remain about how such effects arise, how consistent they are, and under what conditions they can be observed. What these findings ultimately offer is not a final conclusion but instead provides a broader perspective that invites further exploration. Ultimately, the relationship between consciousness and the physical world may be more interactive than once believed, along the lines of what physicist John Wheeler called a “participatory universe.” Understanding this relationship better has the potential to radically reshape what we think about mind and matter, and our role in the physical world.
Read the publication this blog is based on.
