hey there, nice aura. or not…

Science says you have a subtle, almost invisible glow, like an aura. But unlike an aura, it has nothing to do with the astral plane or your soul.

As it turns out, a "healthy glow" isn't just a tagline for commercials or a clichéd compliment. Your skin actually produces a very subtle light according to researchers at Japan's Kyoto University.

This light is thought to be caused by byproducts of biochemical reactions in all living organisms and might have a relationship to our circadian rhythms, since the emissions are lowest around 10 am, reach their peak around 4 pm and diminish to start the cycle again.

And of course, when we're talking about a mysterious ambiance coming from all living things, you just know that someone had to try and tackle the supernatural in the comment lines like so…

I'd be curious to know if this has any correlation to people who claim to see other peoples auras.

Allow me to take a crack at that question. Probably not. The light is about 1,000 times fainter than what a human eye can detect. If we were talking about two or three times fainter, it would be an interesting idea.

But when we're talking about a factor of a thousand, unless the aura seers in question have eyes the size of dinner plates and wince in pain when moonlight hits their pupils, I'd remain very skeptical. Also, what about their own auras? If auras are just visible light, their vision should be hazy with the glow their bodies emit, especially because their faces would be the most active areas of radiation…