The existence of ghosts has been one of humanity’s top mysteries from the dawn of ages. Some are sure of them beyond any doubt, while others waive their hands and dismiss any ghost story or sighting as either a hoax or a visual trick.
It seems that nearly everyone has one or more ghost stories to tell – from all the people you know, it’s pretty much guaranteed that a couple would swear they’ve had a ghost encounter. These can range from spooky bumps in the night to hearing voices without a body or even seeing an apparition. But how much weight can these claims have?
Real evidence of ghosts and the science behind them
Before examining whether ghosts exist, let’s go over the generally-agreed-upon explanation for them: a person(or even an animal) dies, but is unable to move on, and their spirit is instead trapped in the physical world. The reasons why a person wouldn’t go into the afterlife vary, but they mostly revolve around unfinished business or simply refusing to go.
Science probably won’t confirm the existence of ghosts any time soon, but it can’t fully refute it either – we don’t know what consciousness is and where it goes once we die. If there is such a thing as a soul, and most people believe there is, it might seem odd for it to just vanish after death – yes, even more odd than a creepy, hollow image of a person floating around.
With this in mind, the fact that we know so little about human consciousness actually acts as a form of evidence in the favor of ghosts. Then, there are the mountains of so-called physical evidence – while none of it is irrefutable, some is guaranteed to send chills down your spine.
Is there real evidence that ghosts exist?
Finding evidence of ghosts can be a lucrative business – just ask all the ‘mediums’ and the guys on shows like Ghost Hunters. Still, there are a lot of things out there that don’t add up, especially those that happen during the night.
A good example of what could be called evidence is that some of the most frequent ghost sightings happen in ‘haunted’ places, even if the people involved weren’t aware of the place’s history. Abandoned asylums and notorious prisons, burial grounds, murder sites… You’ve probably heard that nothing brings the price of a home down as swiftly as a gruesome murder that happened within its walls. People often feel as if there’s something in the air at sites like these, and very few decide to brave the unknown and stick around to see if chairs will move on their own.
We all watched videos of ghost sightings – some seem poorly done, while others appear almost impossible to fake. If you have a burning desire to uncover the truth, perhaps you could give it a shot yourself: set up camp in a place near you that’s surrounded by ghost stories, and bring along your trusty camera and/or tape recorder. Don’t say you weren’t warned, though…