Science is Fun Fridays!

 

Ghosts have haunted humanity wherever they have settled across the planet.  Every age and every culture has its own type of ghosts and ghost stories.

Emeritus Professor Chris French believes there is an evolutionary element to these beliefs.

For most of our evolutionary history, there were real threats from predators and from enemies.  As our brains are hardwired to be on the lookout for potential threats, it has produced certain cognitive biases.  One of these, according to French, is "believing that when something happens in the world around us, it happens because something or someone with intentions towards us made it happen."

So unrelated events and random natural phenomena can be confused with the supernatural.  It's the same bias that may have led people in the past to blame failing crops on the wrath of God or witchcraft.

Further, there are two important psychological factors that contribute to someone having a ghostly experience.  Context and prior belief.  A study in 1997 asked participants to explore an old movie theater and notice any cognitive, emotional, physiological, psychic or spiritual reactions they had.  Half of the participants were told the place was under renovation, and the other half were told it was haunted.  I'm sure you can guess the results.

Plenty of Halloween happenings this weekend, so beware the ghosts!!