A ghost is a supernatural being that is believed to haunt the living. They are pervasive in lore and have been a part of humanity’s traditions and beliefs for centuries. From ancient Chinese and Indian folktales to the stories brought over by European settlers, ghosts have been a part of every culture around the globe. Ghost myths and stories can be found in literature, film, television, and even evidence of hauntings can be found in scientific research.
The idea of the afterlife has been around since the dawn of human consciousness. Different faiths and spiritual beliefs have placed the afterlife in various places—be it a spirit world, reincarnation, Heaven or Hell—but for many, ghosts serve as an intermediary between life and death. To some, encountering a ghost is evidence of an immortal soul, living beyond the physical realms. To others, ghosts are an interesting topic of discussion.
Ghost sightings have been reported over the centuries, both by skeptics and believers alike. According to research compiled by the American Society for Psychical Research, 30-70% of Americans claim to have experienced a haunted house or other paranormal occurrence. Ghost stories, and the overwhelming willingness to believe stories of the supernatural, are part of the fabric of our culture.
Some scientific explanations for ghostly phenomena include residual energy and residual haunting. In a residual haunting, an imprint of a previous event is believed to be left behind, often making the space “feel” haunted. In the realm of science and technology, there have been attempts to explain paranormal activity with infrasound, electromagnetic fields and sonar, though none of the explanations are widely accepted.
People continue to debate and investigate the paranormal phenomena associated with ghosts. Whether one believes in their existence or not, interest around ghosts and haunted places remains strong, with paranormal investigators and “ghost hunters” looking for evidence to support a supernatural explanation of the unexplained. There have been countless paranormal investigations to provide evidence of the existence of ghosts and hauntings, and while their results are inconclusive and highly disputed, they continue to capture imagination and fuel the mystery and fascination with the supernatural.
At the end of the day, whether or not ghosts actually exist remains a mystery and a source of debate. In our modern world of science and technology, many of the traditional paranormal ideas of ghosts and hauntings may be quickly dismissed and pushed aside. Nevertheless, for those who want to learn more about the topic, there are a plethora of books and articles to explore, with some providing evidence for their existence and others describing reasons for doubting the validity of these supernatural activity reports.