Episode 380: The Third Man Factor
Across centuries and continents, people in extreme isolation like explorers, climbers, disaster survivors, and astronauts, have reported the same eerie experience when they were alone and felt all was lost: the sudden sense that someone else has appeared beside. Some belief it is a guardian angel, a deeper part of our minds, or even God. This week’s episode is The Third Man Factor.
SOURCES
Third Man Syndrome: The Curious Phenomenon In Which People In Danger Feel An Unseen Guiding ‘Presence’, All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/third-man-syndrome/4
"The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible" by John Geiger: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Third_Man_Factor/A99NAnzEWqYC?hl=en
John Geiger - The Third Man Factor and the Shackleton Medal, Shackleton.com:
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/psychology/third-man-syndrome
Third man syndrome: Spiritual phenomenon or survival mechanism?, Deseret News: https://www.deseret.com/23737552/third-man-syndrome/
Third Man Syndrome: The Curious Phenomenon In Which People In Danger Feel An Unseen Guiding ‘Presence’, All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/third-man-syndrome
Third Man Syndrome: In Life Or Death Scenarios, Survivors Report A Helpful Person Appearing, IFL Science: https://www.iflscience.com/third-man-syndrome-in-life-or-death-scenarios-survivors-report-a-helpful-person-appearing-67508
I Am Thoroughly Fascinated By "Third Man Syndrome," So Here Are 31 Stories From People Who Lived To Share Their First-Hand Experiences, Buzzfeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com/angelicaamartinez/third-man-syndrome-stories-2025
