The language of ineffability: Linguistic analysis of mystical experiences.
David B. Yaden, Johannes C. Eichstaedt, H. Andrew Schwartz, Margaret L. Kern, Khoa D. Le Nguyen, Nancy Wintering, Ralph W. Hood, Andrew B. Newberg
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality July 27, 2015 DOI: 10.1037/rel0000043 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who report having had mystical experiences use language that is more socially and spatially inclusive—words like 'close,' 'we,' and 'with'—and fewer overtly religious terms such as 'prayed,' 'Christ,' or 'church' compared to those who have not had such experiences. This pattern emerged from quantitative linguistic analysis of 777 participants' written accounts of their most significant spiritual or religious experience. The findings suggest that mystical experiences, though often described as ineffable, can be meaningfully communicated, and that language analysis offers a way to study them.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 777 |
| Population | Participants who recounted their most significant spiritual or religious experience in an online survey |
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Psychology Linguistics Epistemology Linguistic analysis |
| Citations | 68 |
| Key finding | Participants who have had mystical experiences used more socially and spatially inclusive language and fewer overtly religious words than those without such experiences. |
Abstract
Mystical experiences are often described as “ineffable,” or beyond language. However, people readily speak about their mystical experiences if asked about them. How do people describe what is supposedly indescribable? In this study, we used quantitative linguistic analyses to interpret the writings of 777 participants (45.5% female, 51.0% male) who recounted their most significant spiritual or religious experience as part of an online survey. High and low scorers on a measure of mystical experiences differed in the language they used to describe their experiences. Participants who have had mystical experiences used language that was more socially and spatially inclusive (e.g., “close,” “we,” “with”) and used fewer overtly religious words (e.g., “prayed,” “Christ,” “church”) than participants without such experiences. Results indicated that people can meaningfully communicate their mystical experiences, and that quantitative language analyses provide a means for understanding aspects of such experiences.