They can finish each other’s sentences, choose the same clothes without consulting each other and sometimes even feel the same pain from a distance. Some also say they instinctively know when their twin is in danger. These stories, widely conveyed by popular culture, have fueled the idea of “twin telepathy,” a supposed extrasensory link that defies reason and has fascinated people for centuries. But science, for now, remains skeptical.
According to National Geographic magazine, despite the abundance of anecdotes on the subject, no study has ever demonstrated the existence of such communication between twins. “The majority of research has found no evidence of extrasensory perception and the few significant results have not been replicated”summarizes Nancy Segal, director of the Twin Studies Center at California State University, Fullerton. However, researchers note strong similarities in behavior between twins.
For Joanne Broder, psychologist and member of the American Psychological Association, these similarities can be explained differently: “Twins often develop similar cognitive and emotional styles, not through telepathy, but through their shared environment and genetics.” These parallels, visible in their reactions or their choices, nourish the impression of an invisible, almost supernatural link. In reality, it’s more about psychology than the paranormal.
A myth that dates back to the 19th century
Even when they grow up apart, studies show that monozygotic twins – genetically identical – adopt similar behaviors and preferences. According to Nancy Segal, “this genetic predisposition to react in a comparable way to the same stimuli can give the illusion of extrasensory perception”. The mixture of chance, biology and shared experiences is often enough to explain what appears to be paranormal.
The notion of twin telepathy has its roots in the Victorian era. In the 19th centurye century, at the crossroads of spiritualism and the beginnings of psychology, the British author Frederic William Henry Myers coined the term “telepathy”. His work in parapsychology largely contributed to popularizing the idea of a magical bond between identical brothers and sisters.
In 2024, a Swedish study noted certain correlations between the physiological responses of twins subjected to specific stimulations. But these results remain too limited to validate the telepathy hypothesis. “What we interpret as such is often only a reflection of a deep emotional connection and shared experiences”underlines Tania Johnson, psychologist and co-founder of the Institute of Child Psychology, located in Alberta (Canada). Behind the myth of the paranormal are in reality the genes and the shared history of twins.
