Paranormal belief, manic-depressiveness, and magical ideation: a replication

A previous study conducted in Australia has suggested that persons who believe in and claim experience of the paranormal tend to score higher on measures of manic-depressiveness and magical ideation. The present study sought to confirm these findings in an English sample of 114 university students using as measures of belief in the paranormal the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale and as well the Survey of Belief in Extraordinary Phenomena. As predicted, paranormal belief was significantly correlated with measures of manic-, depressive-, and manic-depressive experience, as well as magical ideation. It was noted, moreover, that manic-depressive experience was moderately correlated with magical ideation, suggesting some overlap between the relevant conditions.