THE
SUPERNATURAL
According to recent surveys, as many as three-quarters of Americans believe in the paranormal in some form. In contrast, nearly one in five claims to have seen a ghost.
Intrigued by these persistent beliefs, psychologists have started to look at why some can’t shake off old superstitions and folklore. Their findings may suggest some hidden virtues to believing in the paranormal. At the very least, it should cause you to question whether you hold more insidious beliefs about the world.
Some paranormal experiences are easily explainable, based on faulty activity in the brain. Reports of poltergeists invisibly moving objects seem to be consistent with damage to some right hemisphere areas responsible for visual processing. Also, certain forms of epilepsy can cause the spooky feeling that a presence is stalking you close by. Like perhaps underlying accounts of faceless “shadow people” lurking in the surroundings.
Out-of-body experiences, meanwhile, are now accepted neurological phenomena. At the same time, certain visual illusions could confound the healthy brain and create mythical beings.