People who have had “near-death experiences” (such as out-of-body travel) are far better at handling stress than researchers had expected.

Psychological tests showed that the participants’ physiological differences were associated with what the researchers called active coping, a tendency to “take the bull by the horns” in stressful situations.

Dr. C. Bruce Greyson, a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia, theorizes that the experience may be a protective mechanism that insulates some people against developing post-traumatic stress disorder.