By Neil Dagnall, Manchester Metropolitan University
From ghosts to ghouls, witches to wizards, Halloween is the one time of the year when people come together to celebrate everything supernatural. But beyond the fancy dress and trick or treating, belief in ghosts is actually relatively common – with 38% of people classifying themselves as believers and a similar number having actually reported seeing one.
The term “ghost” refers to the idea that the spirits of the dead – human and animal – influence the physical world. And the idea of a haunting can often include anything from a sensed presence, or objects moving, to spirit activity.
Listen: Halloween can go on for weeks, so how do we look after our kids without ruining the party altogether?
But in a world filled with science and reason, these “hauntings” can often boil down to a very simple explanation. So with Halloween just around the corner, here are the top three scientific and psychological explanations for hauntings, spirits, spookiness and all things supernatural – although it should be noted that many important questions have yet to be resolved …
1. Because I told you so.
Attempts to explain hauntings often draw upon psychological factors – such as suggestion – so being told a place is haunted is more likely to lead to ghostly goings-on.
One classic study saw participants visiting five main areas of a theatre before completing a questionnaire to assess their feelings and perceptions. Prior to the tour, one group was told the location was haunted, while the other group was informed that the building was under renovation. Unsurprisingly, participants that were told the place was haunted experienced more intense experiences – similar to those of paranormal happenings.
Top Comments
I also had an experience and whilst they did tell ghost stories and based the tour around them (talking about previous sightings), I did not believe in ghosts. I actually thought it was total crap and preferred to believe in science. Upon returning home, the next day I went through my photos of the tour and noticed a figure above where the group was in more than 1 photo clearly. I had seen nothing as had the group seen nothing. It was just there, not menacing, not scaring, just watching curiously. I since believe.
I saw a lady in a red dress in my house. She walked right past me. Didnt look like a stereotypical ghost. Wasnt see thru. She walked up the stairs and i honestly thought she was a real person in my house. I got angry and started yelling at her to explain herself or get the hell out. I ran up the stairs after her just in time to see her go into a walk in closet. I opened the closet door knowing she had no way out and was trapped. I was dumbfounded to find no one there. I checked behind every article of clothing in there. I checked the walls, the floor, even the ceiling but she was gone. I was so confused. I mentioned it to my husband later that day and he said he had seen her too. Stupid thing is she looked like any other woman. Not ghostly in any way. In hindsight i realized she didnt make any noise when she walked but she didnt float either. So weird and creepy. We never saw her again. So i challenge scientists to explain that!