Many individuals have reported experiencing unexplained phenomena, such as hearing mysterious noises, witnessing moving shadows, or sensing an uncanny presence. These experiences are often associated with the supernatural, fuelled by spine-chilling ghost stories and accounts of paranormal activities. But how much of this is real, and to what extent can these occurrences be attributed to the intricate workings of the human brain?
The Quest for Scientific Explanation
Science has endeavored to provide a conclusive explanation for these phenomena, especially for those who assert their encounters with the supernatural. Researchers at Chapman University in Orange, California, conducted an annual survey to gauge public belief in ghosts and spirits. The results were startling: over half (58%) of the U.S. respondents professed belief in supernatural entities, and one in five claimed to have experienced contact with such beings.
Despite these claims, there is a dearth of irrefutable evidence. Even with advanced technology, enthusiasts have only been able to capture hazy shadows and ambiguous sounds, the origins of which could be anything but supernatural. In fact, the scientific community can often provide rational explanations for these so-called 'proofs'.
The Mind's Deceptive Play
So where does the truth lie? While science may not have captured a ghost on film, it can explain why certain individuals perceive these presences or claim to see things that don't exist. Studies have shown that our senses can be deceptive, and we can't always trust what we see or hear.
For instance, some people experience a terrifying state of paralysis upon waking. They are fully conscious but unable to move. This phenomenon, known as sleep paralysis, is not the result of any malevolent force. It's simply a discrepancy between the mind and the body during sleep.
During the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep, where dreams are most vivid, our bodies remain motionless while our eyes dart around. This immobility is a safety mechanism to prevent us from acting out our dreams and potentially injuring ourselves. However, some people awaken while this paralysis is still in effect, leading to a state of wakefulness while being unable to move. In this state, the mind can create illusions, causing individuals to see or hear things that aren't there.
Other people report hearing phantom phone rings, voices, or seeing faces in the shadows. According to psychologist David Smailes at Northumbria University, these are hallucinations, experienced by everyone at some point. While some dismiss these experiences, others attribute them to supernatural activity.
The human brain is a complex and precise tool for interpreting sensory input from the external world. When confronted with inexplicable phenomena, it's often easier to attribute them to the supernatural rather than accepting that our brains can sometimes deceive us. Our perceptions are not always a reliable indicator of reality, and it's crucial to remember this when considering the existence of the supernatural.
But as just mentioned, the brain is literally bombarded all the time with all sorts of stimuli, and it has to be able to unite them all and give us information in the shortest possible time. Sometimes it is so good at doing this that it even sees things that are not there, and this phenomenon is called pareidolia, and we have other examples when we see specific shapes in clouds, or see a face in the moon.
In short, the brain receives millions of pieces of information through the senses, too much for us and therefore it is forced to make a choice, taking only those that it considers most important for us: as if to say that what we see is not the true reality, but an image that the brain has processed for us based on signals captured by sight, or by other senses. A very accurate image in most cases, but sometimes it can happen that the brain adds something that is not there.
Often the person who claims to have seen a ghost, explains Smailes, was alone, frightened and in the dark; in such a situation it is easier for the brain to impose its creation on reality.
Moreover, the memory does not record everything, but only remembers what caught its attention.
In 2014, research showed that people who believe in paranormal phenomena are more prone to attentional blindness, with a more limited memory. Those who have difficulty remembering or paying attention to more than one thing at a time are likely to miss some of what is happening around them, and are more likely to attribute what they perceive to ghosts or paranormal presences.
Paraidolia, sleep paralysis, hallucinations or attentional blindness can therefore affect everyone, but not everyone immediately thinks of ghosts to explain these phenomena; one solution is to use critical thinking.
To this end, an experiment was conducted by Robyn Andrews, a psychology student at the University of South Wales, and Professor Philip Tyson, who surveyed 687 students about their paranormal beliefs. What emerged? Students with higher grades tended to believe less in paranormal phenomena, and science students in particular were less likely to believe than arts students. Most probably because critical thinking is the basis of scientific experiments, and even more often, a simple and logical explanation is really the right one.
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