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Voodoo Death: New Thoughts on an Old Explanation 1
Author(s) -
Lex Barbara W.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1974.76.4.02a00060
Subject(s) - extant taxon , neuroscience , cognition , psychology , autonomic nervous system , cognitive psychology , medicine , biology , evolutionary biology , heart rate , blood pressure
Extant physiological explanations of “voodoo death” are augmented with information about neurophysiological research on sensitization, or tuning, of the autonomic nervous system. The process of suggestion is defined as incorporating both an automatic and cognitive component in tuned individuals; the significance of autonomic tuning in cause and cure of psychosomatic illness and in voodoo death is explored.