How does science explain ghosts?

we know that mystical things are inseparable with human life. even for a long time ago. humans have had a strong belief in supernatural things. and now where civilization is accompanied by developments in science and technology, the belief in mystical things doesn't disappear.

and when talking about mystical things, of course, the first thing that comes to our minds is "Ghost". right ? well that will be our topic this time. talking about ghosts, we'd find many stories about them. and every country must have its own version of the ghost they believe to exist.

in the United States, we may know the ghost of Annabelle or Slender man. in England we may know The Green Lady. even in my own country, Indonesia. we have many types of ghosts here.

Image Credit : Visit El Paso used under Creative Common-Attribution 2.0 / Generic-CC BY 2.0 License
"Annabelle is a doll believed to be haunted at the Warren Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, United States. This doll has been the inspiration for The Conjuring and Annabelle films."
From Wikipedia

Our society's belief in mystical things, especially ghosts, always presents interesting stories from time to time. we could even see lots of horror genre films that are screened in theaters. there is one interesting survey conducted by YouGov in 2019 asked 1,293 adults in the United States about their belief in ghosts.

and the result is 45% of them believe that ghosts exist. and that's a high enough value to describe how our society views ghosts. and I believe this number will probably be higher if it is done in other countries, especially the Asian region. because as an Asian, I know very well how Asian culture is. especially for things related to ghosts.

The rapid development of technology and science as it's today certainly makes many of us more questions about many things, including the existence of ghosts. of course in an empirical scientific perspective. so, it's not surprising that many of us find a lot of literacy that we find about how the explanation of ghosts is in the view of science. so let's see !!

but before that, we need to equate the perception of what the definition of the ghost itself is. it's kinda difficult to get the definition of ghost according to scientists because basically science until now has not confirmed the existence of ghosts. but I will quote a definition from Wikipedia regarding the definition of a ghost, and I think this definition is the same as what we have perceived so far about the figure of "Ghost".

In folklore, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike forms. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance. Other terms associated with it are apparition, haunt, phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter or specter, spirit, spook, and wraith. Wikipedia

we'd discuss this definition at the end of the post!

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People say Ghost, Science says hallucinations

according to science, A Ghost is something that is not real. someone who claims to have seen, heard, or felt the presence of ghosts is actually just hallucinating. There are several reasons why these hallucinations occur, let's have a look:

Suggestion

If you ask me "Have you ever seen ghosts?" I would answer "Absolutely, Yes" I saw them on tv and magazines! and their appearance is still in my memory. I probably wouldn't have known what these creatures looked like if I had never decided to watch some films about them. that makes me sometimes feel like their presence when the situation is quiet and dark😄

ok,, so far we've been given various information about mystical things. and all the information is very easy for us to find. when we watch TV or youtube or when we read magazines or articles. and without us realizing it, the suggestion of ghosts has started to be ingrained in our brains.

In general, the suggestion is a form of effort to give influence one person to another, so that person is willing to do what the suggestion giver wants. but actually, a suggestion has a broader meaning. especially in this case. that sometimes suggestions also come from various information that we get from various media. and that information would influence our thinking.

commonly the suggestion of various information about ghosts doesn't allow us to see ghosts directly. but this suggestion would be the main trigger for the emergence of a hallucination for that person at certain times. and it would get worse if that person is accustomed and easy to be suggestive of this information.

Image by Sammy-Williams from Pixabay
in 2017 police in Nanjing, China managed to save a 28-year-old man named Chen from an attempted suicide by jumping from a building. and based on Chen's confession, he did this because he felt terrorized by a ghost from a horror film he had previously watched.

simple question. Did this young man really see ghosts?
science says no! he had only acute hallucinations.

as previously explained that watching, hearing, or reading things related to ghosts will indirectly give suggestions to our brains. and as we know that in psychology, suggestions that occur to someone will have more impact if the person is very easy and vulnerable to suggestions. and have a strong belief in what he sees.

As we know, horror movies are made to evoke certain emotions such as tension, fear, stress, and shock. So horror films contain psychological tricks that create the illusion of suspense and danger through manipulation of images, sounds and stories. Even though your brain realizes that the threat isn't real, your body simultaneously registers it as if the threat was real.

image source : DR Pamela Rutledge Website
Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center in an article by healthline.com suggested that for people who have more sensitivity, to not watching horror films. cause there is a greater chance of internalizing images from horror films they watched previously into dreams.

what Dr. Pamela Rutledge said illustrates that in certain people horror films will have a profound suggestion effect. so they felt as if were haunted by what they had previously seen in the film.

Suggestions that have been deeply embedded would tend to lead to phobias, a person would feel afraid of ghosts and sometimes will experience hallucinations that he saw the ghost.

for some people, horror films provide many benefits, but there are some bad effects. so for those who have excessive anxiety levels not to watch this type of film.

unfortunately, various indirect suggestions of information about ghosts are mostly received by someone as a child. and it will interfere with their psychology.

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if watching, reading, and hearing about ghosts can give your brain an indirect suggestion of the existence of ghosts. so this time we will discuss direct suggestions and it's a kinda little extreme.

Ouija
Gif Source : PEAKD
as you can see in the image above that it's an Ouija game, a game that's claimed to summon spirits. I honestly never played this game before. but one thing that is important and will be our topic is that Ouija game participants will feel their hands being moved by spiritual power.

in my country, Indonesia, there is a similar game called "Jalangkung". but there is a little difference with Ouija.

in Jelangkung game we use a wooden doll held by a group of people, and just like in the Ouija game, we would cast a spell to summon a spirit to enter the wooden doll. and when the wooden doll vibrates, the participants believe the spirit has arrived and is in the doll!

so, how science explains Ouija and Jelangkung?

according to science, the phenomenon that occurs in these two games is caused by strong suggestions to the brains of the participants. The reason why our hands move by themselves in Ouija or in Jelangkung games is actually not moved by spiritual power like the myth. but we ourselves move our own hands.

You might deny it and say that "I didn't move my hand" well I understand. Even in Jelangkung, we didn't move our hands, but the result was the doll moved.

a strong suggestion of a desire to see something mystical prompts our bodies to make physical movements of which we are not aware. this movement is known as the Ideomotor effect. I'm sure we have all experienced a jolt while sleeping so that is an example of the Ideomotor effect. or have you ever wondered why tears come out when we are sad? while we don't order our bodies to get it out?

so, in the case of Ouija and jelangkung games are caused by Ideomotor effects. this effect occurs when we suggest our own thoughts, thus leading us indirectly to the subconscious mind. This ideomotor effect was amplified when the participants believed they had no control over their movements. the subconscious mind of the participants then responds to this by moving our hands without being aware of it ourselves. and we instead assume that some magical power has moved our hands.

Low frequency sound

What do you feel when you hear this voice?

video source : crysknife007
have you heard of INFRASOUND ?

Infrasound, sometimes referred to as low-frequency sound, describes sound waves with a frequency below the lower limit of audibility (generally 20 Hz). Hearing becomes gradually less sensitive as frequency decreases, so for humans to perceive infrasound, the sound pressure must be sufficiently high. The ear is the primary organ for sensing low sound, but at higher intensities, it is possible to feel infrasound vibrations in various parts of the body. from Wikipedia

So basically the Infrasound sound is a very low-frequency sound and humans tend to find it difficult to hear the range of 20 Hz-0.1 Hz.

So how can a sound with this frequency trigger us to see ghosts?

Scientists have long been conducting research into how sounds below the 20 Hz limit affect psychology in humans. so you feel anxiety, fear, nausea, or hallucinations

In nature, sounds below the 20 Hz threshold are almost exclusively associated with horrific events. Earthquakes, floods, and storms, which were detected by animals and escaped long before humans were some examples.

in 2003 a scientist Dr. Richard Lord of the National Physical Laboratory, Richard Wisemen of the University of Hertfordshire, and Sarah Angliss, composer, and engineer, played a 17 Hz sound under a selection of contemporary music in a concert hall.

The audience, who didn't know which parts of the program were accompanied by infrasound, were then surveyed for emotional and physiological reactions. and results Twenty-two percent of audience members reported predictable reactions to infrasound exposure, characterized as chills in the spine, unexplained sadness, nausea, and fear.

A similar research has previously been conducted by a lecturer named Vic Tandy who managed to uncover the secrets of the haunted laboratory. which is based on the experience of several people, including himself, that the atmosphere of the room is scary and sometimes there are white shadows passing.

but after closely observing the room he finally realized that the ghost atmosphere that occurred in the laboratory came from a fan that emitted a sound frequency of 18.98 Hz. he then corrects it and the result is that the creepy atmosphere in the laboratory room didn't happen again.

He published Vic Tandy's experience and research in a paper that was Published in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research in 1998
Ghost in The Machine

Medical Reason

for this one reason, I think it's common for us to know that health problems can cause a person to hallucinate. especially for those drug addicts.

Frederick W. Fraunfelder, MD, MBA, an expert on treatment-related visual impairments and hallucinations at the University of Missouri, Columbia says

“Visual hallucinations are usually caused by certain drugs and are even more likely to occur when the patient is taking some medications.

Severe fatigue could also make us hallucinate!

Joe Nickell, senior researcher at the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry says

“Someone will be doing some routine chore like polishing the furniture – they’ll be in a near-reverie or daydream state – and they’ll see something out of the corner of their eye,” he says. “They’ll turn and their mind will fill in the blank – they’ll see a Civil War soldier or a ‘gray lady’ -- and then it will promptly vanish.”
source

conclusion

From the various explanations above, we can conclude that up to now science has not acknowledged the existence of unseen things, especially ghosts.

what people claim they have heard or seen is a hallucination only. and not a ghost.

So the ghost doesn't exist, but that doesn't mean we can't see it.

yes, we can see them. but not the ghost by this definition👇

In folklore, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike forms. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance. Other terms associated with it are apparition, haunt, phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter or specter, spirit, spook, and wraith. Wikipedia

but by this definition👉 Ghosts are just hallucinations

Gif Source : PEAKD

created by Sunny cup/uploaded in Wattpad src

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annabelle_(doll)
3. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/science-ghosts
4. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/6-possible-scientific-reasons-for-ghosts/
5. https://www.livescience.com/26697-are-ghosts-real.html
6. https://www.popsci.com/story/science/ghosts-real-science/
7. https://www.quora.com/Why-do-we-feel-a-presence-of-a-ghost-or-spirit-after-watching-multiple-paranormal-videos
8. https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/10/16/how-to-shake-off-that-scary-feeling-after-a-horror-film.html
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasound
10. https://interestingengineering.com/tuning-ghost-frequency#:~:text=The%20Science%20Behind%20The%20Spooks,the%20human%20eyeball%2C%2018.98%20Hz.
11. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/oct/16/science.farout
12. https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/see-ghosts-there-may-be-medical-reason-1c9926902
13. https://www.today.com/health/have-you-seen-ghost-there-are-medical-reasons-t104377
14. https://www.vox.com/2016/10/29/13301590/how-ouija-boards-work-debunked-ideomotor-effect
15. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322863
16. https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailangkung
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Is_Not_Real