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A new study reveals that people given scientific evidence that supports the ability to predict the future feel a greater sense of control over their lives.

Researchers had one group of participants read a paragraph stating that scientists had found evidence supporting the existence of precognition and another group of participants read a related paper that goes against those findings.

Afterwards, participants were asked to fill out surveys.  The study revealed that people who read the paper confirming the ability to predict the future agreed more strongly with statements like "I am in control of my own life", "My life is determined by my own actions" and "I am able to live my life how I wish" than the group who read a paper denying the ability to predict the future.

In a second experiment, participants who were made to feel a loss of control and then asked to read the same paragraphs reported feeling an increased sense of control after reading about the existence of precognition, but not when they read that it did not exist.

However, those who were made to feel more in control of their lives before reading and filling out surveys reported no differences in their subsequent sense of control.

Researchers said the latest findings suggest that psychic predictability can provide people with a compensatory boost in perceived control.

"Humans are predisposed towards prediction; we like to know what is going to happen in our lives. Belief in paranormal abilities like precognition can help people meet this need for predictability by making us feel as though we can control our destiny," researchers wrote in the study.

"We found that people were drawn to predictability when they experienced loss of control-even to the extent of endorsing seemingly irrational beliefs about precognition," they added.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS ONE.