I first encountered the term of “primary perception” while I was watching an episode of MythBusters where they treated this matter in the form of a myth.I was fascinated by the concept and I did my own share of reading on this subject.If you’re not in the mood of reading right now you can have a look at this quick video that may give you all the information you need to understand what I’m talking about:Secret life of plants.I’ll leave MythBusters’ verdict at the end of this summary, just to keep the tension a little longer.

Quote:

“In the study of paranormal phenomenon Plant perception, or biocommunication in plant cells, has come to mean a belief that plants feel emotions such as fear and affection. Believers hold that plants have the ability to communicate with humans and other forms of life in a recognizable manner. The notion that plants are capable of feeling emotions was first recorded in 1848, when Dr. Gustav Theodor Fechner, a German professor, suggested the idea in his book Nanna. He believed that plants are capable of emotions, just like humans or animals, and that one could promote healthy growth by showering plants with talk, attention, and affection. One of the first to research the concept was the Indian scientist Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, who began to conduct experiments on plants in the year 1900. He found that every plant and every part of a plant appeared to have a sensitive nervous system and responded to shock by a spasm just as an animal muscle does.(…) Bose found that plants grew more quickly amidst pleasant music and more slowly amidst loud noise or harsh sounds. He also claimed that plants can "feel pain, understand affection”. Cleve Backster (b. 1924) is a polygraph scientist best known for his controversial experiments with biocommunication in plant and animal cells using a polygraph machine in the 1960s which led to his theory of "primary perception."(…) He discovered that a polygraph instrument attached to a plant leaf registered a change in electrical resistance when the plant was harmed or even threatened with harm. It appeared that plants perceived human intentions, and as Backster began to investigate further, he found that other human thoughts and emotions caused reactions in plants that could be recorded by a polygraph instrument. He termed the plants' sensitivity to thoughts "primary perception".(…) He expanded his experimental range to test for primary perceptions in other life forms, such as yogurt, bacteria, and human cells. In the United Kingdom, the Bognor Regis Electronic Development Corporation of Sussex conducted a similar experiment. The Corporation found that their secretaries were much too busy to care for their plants, and, following the death of several of the plants through lack of water, they attached some electrodes to the plant. They reportedly discovered that the plants emitted sounds that came out through loudspeakers as mournful cries when they were in need of watering. Backster's "Primary Perception" theory was referenced in the Discovery Channel television show MythBusters. The team attempted to reproduce Backster's experiments using a polygraph and an EEG machine. The myth received a "Busted" rating. In the scientific community as a whole, paranormal biocommunication has been subjected to much criticism, and is largely regarded as a pseudoscience.”

First, I need to thank God for Wikipedia and for all of the answers that this free encyclopedia never fails to give whenever I feel confused.Check their Plant perception (paranormal) and Cleve Backster articles for more information.

Second, I feel a little silly admitting this, but I’m quite dissapointed.I really wished that this was true.I’d love for something completely insane to turn mankind upside down, but it seems that this isn’t the case.I still like to imagine that the innocent grass that I grow in my kitchen can actually read my mind.But what are your thoughts on this subject ? Pretty cool, huh ?

-eli_darko

_________________
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