Masaru Emoto
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese author and entrepreneur known for his claims that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water. Emoto's hypothesis has evolved over the years of his research. Initially Dr. Emoto claimed that high-quality water forms beautiful and intricate crystals, while low-quality water has difficulty forming crystals. According to Dr. Emoto, an ice crystal of distilled water exhibits a basic hexagonal structure with no intricate branching. Emoto claims that positive changes to water crystals can be achieved through prayer, music or by attaching written words to a container of water.
Since 1999 Emoto has published several volumes of a work titled Messages from Water, which contains photographs of water crystals next to essays and "words of intent." In addition to his books, Emoto also sells various water products from his websites and catalogs, which are purported to have healing properties derived from his research and experiments.
Emoto's ideas appeared in the popular documentary "What the Bleep Do We Know!?
". Like that film, Emoto's work is widely considered pseudoscience
by professionals, and he is criticized for going directly to the public with misleading claims that violate basic physics
, based on methods that fail to properly investigate the truth of the claims.
, Japan
, Emoto graduated from Yokohama Municipal University
with courses in International Relations
. "In 1986, he established the I.H.M. Corporation in Tokyo and is currently the head of the I.H.M. General Research Institute, Inc., the President of I.H.M., Inc., and the chief representative of I.H.M.'s HADO Fellowship". In 1992 he received certification as a Doctor of Alternative Medicine from the Indian Board of Alternative Medicines in India
, an accredited institution. "Subsequently, he was introduced to the concept of micro-cluster water and Magnetic Resonance Analysis technology in the United States, which began his quest to discover the mystery of water".
Emoto is President Emeritus of the International Water For Life Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
based in Oklahoma City
, founded in 2005. He has three children with his wife Kazuko.
Emoto's water crystal experiments consist of exposing water in glasses to different words, pictures, or music, and then freezing and examining the aesthetics of the resulting crystals with microscopic photography. Emoto claims that there are "many differences in the crystalline structure of the water" depending on the type of water source, which were taken from all over the world. For example, a water sample from a "pristine mountain" stream would purportedly show a "geometric" design that is "beautifully" shaped when frozen. On the other hand, "polluted water" sources will supposedly show a "definite distortion" and will be "randomly formed".
In the day-to-day work of his group, the creativity of the photographers rather than the rigor of the experiment is an explicit policy. Emoto freely acknowledges that he is not a scientist, and that photographers are instructed to select the most pleasing photographs.
In 2003, James Randi
publicly offered Emoto one million dollars if his results can be reproduced in a double-blind study.
In 2005, Kristopher Setchfield from the Natural Science Department at Vermont published a paper that analyzed deeper motives regarding Emoto's study. In his paper, Kristopher writes,
In 2006, Emoto published a paper together with Dean Radin
and others in the journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. They describe that in a double blind test approximately 2000 people in Tokyo could increase the aesthetic appeal of water stored in a room in California, compared to water in another room, solely through their positive intentions.
There were, however, potential problems with the "triple-blind" follow up. As the study explains:
Physician Harriet A. Hall
writes, about the ideas of Emoto, that "This watery fantasy is all very entertaining and imaginative, full of New Age
feel-good platitudes, holistic oneness, consciousness raising, and warm fuzzies; but it's hard to see how anyone could mistake it for science."
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese author and entrepreneur known for his claims that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water. Emoto's hypothesis has evolved over the years of his research. Initially Dr. Emoto claimed that high-quality water forms beautiful and intricate crystals, while low-quality water has difficulty forming crystals. According to Dr. Emoto, an ice crystal of distilled water exhibits a basic hexagonal structure with no intricate branching. Emoto claims that positive changes to water crystals can be achieved through prayer, music or by attaching written words to a container of water.
Since 1999 Emoto has published several volumes of a work titled Messages from Water, which contains photographs of water crystals next to essays and "words of intent." In addition to his books, Emoto also sells various water products from his websites and catalogs, which are purported to have healing properties derived from his research and experiments.
Emoto's ideas appeared in the popular documentary "What the Bleep Do We Know!?
What the Bleep Do We Know!?
What the Bleep Do We Know!? is a 2004 film that combines documentary-style interviews, computer-animated graphics, and a narrative that describes the spiritual connection between quantum physics and consciousness...
". Like that film, Emoto's work is widely considered pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
by professionals, and he is criticized for going directly to the public with misleading claims that violate basic physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, based on methods that fail to properly investigate the truth of the claims.
Biography
Born in YokohamaYokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Emoto graduated from Yokohama Municipal University
Yokohama City University
is a public university in Japan. The main campus is located in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama.- History :An origin of YCU was founded in 1882 as . At first this school was maintained by the society of local merchants. In 1888 the school was renamed Yokohama Commercial School , a five-year school for boys...
with courses in International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
. "In 1986, he established the I.H.M. Corporation in Tokyo and is currently the head of the I.H.M. General Research Institute, Inc., the President of I.H.M., Inc., and the chief representative of I.H.M.'s HADO Fellowship". In 1992 he received certification as a Doctor of Alternative Medicine from the Indian Board of Alternative Medicines in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, an accredited institution. "Subsequently, he was introduced to the concept of micro-cluster water and Magnetic Resonance Analysis technology in the United States, which began his quest to discover the mystery of water".
Emoto is President Emeritus of the International Water For Life Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, founded in 2005. He has three children with his wife Kazuko.
Emoto's water crystal experiments consist of exposing water in glasses to different words, pictures, or music, and then freezing and examining the aesthetics of the resulting crystals with microscopic photography. Emoto claims that there are "many differences in the crystalline structure of the water" depending on the type of water source, which were taken from all over the world. For example, a water sample from a "pristine mountain" stream would purportedly show a "geometric" design that is "beautifully" shaped when frozen. On the other hand, "polluted water" sources will supposedly show a "definite distortion" and will be "randomly formed".
Criticism
Commentators have criticized Emoto for insufficient experimental controls, and for not sharing enough details of his approach with the scientific community. In addition, Emoto has been criticized for designing his experiments in ways that leave them open to human error influencing his findings.In the day-to-day work of his group, the creativity of the photographers rather than the rigor of the experiment is an explicit policy. Emoto freely acknowledges that he is not a scientist, and that photographers are instructed to select the most pleasing photographs.
In 2003, James Randi
James Randi
James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
publicly offered Emoto one million dollars if his results can be reproduced in a double-blind study.
In 2005, Kristopher Setchfield from the Natural Science Department at Vermont published a paper that analyzed deeper motives regarding Emoto's study. In his paper, Kristopher writes,
In 2006, Emoto published a paper together with Dean Radin
Dean Radin
Dean Radin is a researcher and author in the field of parapsychology. He has been Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences , in Petaluma, California, USA, since 2001, and is on the Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Psychology at Sonoma State University, on the Distinguished...
and others in the journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. They describe that in a double blind test approximately 2000 people in Tokyo could increase the aesthetic appeal of water stored in a room in California, compared to water in another room, solely through their positive intentions.
Triple-blind study
A better-controlled "triple-blind" follow-up study published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration did not yield positive results. More than 1,900 of Mr. Emoto's followers focused gratitude on water bottles in a vault over a period of three days. The water was then frozen and compared to two different sets of controls in a very elaborate protocol. Crystals from all three groups were not, on average, considered to be particularly beautiful (scoring 1.7 on a scale of 0 to 6, where 6 was very beautiful). Crystals from the experimental group were also rated slightly less beautiful than a set of controls. An objective comparison of contrast did not reveal any significant differences among the samples.There were, however, potential problems with the "triple-blind" follow up. As the study explains:
Physician Harriet A. Hall
Harriet A. Hall
Harriet A. Hall is a retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic who writes about alternative medicine and quackery for Skeptic and Skeptical Inquirer.-Career:...
writes, about the ideas of Emoto, that "This watery fantasy is all very entertaining and imaginative, full of New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
feel-good platitudes, holistic oneness, consciousness raising, and warm fuzzies; but it's hard to see how anyone could mistake it for science."
Books
Emoto has sold 2 million copies of his books.- Messages from Water, Vol. 1 (June 1999), Hado Publishing, ISBN 4-939098-00-1
- Messages from Water, Vol. 2 (November 2001), Sunmark Pub. ISBN 0-7881-2927-9
- The Hidden Messages in Water (April 2004 Eng., 2001 Jap.), Beyond Words PublishingBeyond Words PublishingBeyond Words Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1983, the company was unprofitable in its early years, though its works were award winning. The privately owned company focuses on non-fiction titles in the New Age genre, but began as a...
ISBN 1-58270-162-8 - The Message from Water III: Love Thyself (January 2006), published by Hay House ISBN 1-4019-0899-3
- Water Crystal Healing: Music & Images to Restore Your Well Being (17 October 2006), published by Atria Books ISBN 1-58270-156-3
- The Shape of Love: Discovering Who We Are, Where We Came From, and Where We are Going, Doubleday, 2007. ISBN 978-0-385-51837-6
See also
- Water memoryWater memoryWater memory is the claimed ability of water to retain a "memory" of substances previously dissolved in it to arbitrary dilution. No scientific evidence supports this claim. Shaking the water at each stage of a serial dilution is claimed to be necessary for an effect to occur...
- PolywaterPolywaterPolywater was a hypothetical polymerized form of water that was the subject of much scientific controversy during the late 1960s. By 1969 the popular press had taken notice, and by 1970 doubts about its authenticity were being circulated. By 1973 it was found to be illusory...
- Penta WaterPenta WaterPenta Water is a brand of bottled water that claims to be structurally different from 'normal' water, and advertised as "ultra-purified" water. The company was founded in 1999 in San Diego, California...
- Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research LabPrinceton Engineering Anomalies Research LabThe Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research program was established at Princeton University in 1979 by Robert G. Jahn, then Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, to pursue rigorous scientific study of the interaction of human consciousness with physical devices, systems, and...
- PseudosciencePseudosciencePseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
- Water (2006 film)Water (2006 film)Water is a 2006 documentary film directed by Anastaysia Popova about the memory of water. The film was made under television channel Rossiya 1's project Great mystery of water....
External links
- Masaru Emoto's web site
- Emoto's section of the web site of the movie What the #$*! Do We Know!?
- James Randi's 1 million dollar challenge
- Gary Greenberg, a biomedical researcher and artist with patents for microscopes, challenges Emoto to explain why his work has not been peer reviewed
- Research paper on Emoto's findings
- Water-related pseudoscience