Why do I sometimes have a strong feeling that something is about to happen?

possible future events

For the past few years, I've occasionally had a sudden thought or a strong feeling that something specific is about to happen, and it ends up happening shortly afterward.

Some examples include:

Feeling that someone I know is about to contact me, and they do.

Having a strong feeling today that my CEO would unexpectedly start a video huddle, even though we almost always use audio. About five minutes later, he did.

Suddenly thinking I'll run into a particular person, and then unexpectedly seeing them later that day.

Feeling that someone is about to bring up a specific topic in a conversation, and they end up mentioning it.

Thinking a certain event or change is about to happen, only for it to happen later that day.

This has happened enough times over the years that I've started wondering about it.

I'm not claiming anything paranormal or psychic. I'm simply curious whether psychology or neuroscience has an explanation for experiences like this. Is it unconscious pattern recognition, confirmation bias, coincidence, or something else? Has this been studied?

Posted Jul 6, 2026, 9:05 PM UTC

11
Loading comments…