Hauntings explained?

[manfred]

A study tried to find out more about places where haunting is often reported.

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3046179.stm

The study - in which hundreds of volunteers were taken around two allegedly haunted locations - found that people reported having more unusual experiences in the specific places at each location which are considered most haunted.

The researchers think this can be explained by the way people react to environmental cues, such as subtle drafts, and in particular visual factors, like low lighting.

What's more,

...the variance in local magnetic fields was highest in the areas thought to be most haunted, and lowest in areas where people typically did not record experiencing ghostly phenomena.

The variations in magnetic fields were incredibly small - about 100 times less than you get from sitting about a metre away from your TV - but the researchers think the findings are significant.

What do you people think?

[Ylorea]

Even though it is absolutly true that living matter reacts far better to all kind of enviromental changes as we often believe to be true, I am afraid I just have to dismiss this as being ridicilous.

Well at least the part about the magnetic fields and all. Otherwise everyone would have haunted experiences when watching the television.

Yours, Ylorea

p.s. There is a fair chance that I am way to down-to-earth when it comes to aspects of Real-Life...

[CaptainPenguin]

Couldn't these factors have something to do with the haunting, rather than being the basis of the theoretical haunting? True, the power of that the environment has upon the human mind and imagination is powerful, but could supernatural forces have an effect on said environment?

[Ylorea]

I personaly would much rather go with the explanation of the Captain as with the so-called sientific explanation.

I stand my case that if "sience" is right, everybody in any house (or at my work for that matter) would experience haunting experiences all the time. (Never seen computers without a TV like thing to see what the computer tells you)

Yours,

Ylorea

[manfred]

As was said: To the believer no proof is required, to the sceptic, no proof is sufficient

Well, I cannot simply declare ghosts for non-existent (see valid Captain's point). But I quite believe it to be so.


The TV argument: the point is not in the strength of the magnetic fields. Resonance is what counts. No wonder, our neural system is circuits and stuff, even if it is organic. It had to come one day.


What really unsettles me (but does not surprise that much), is the fact that a human brain can be influenced with the help of special magnetic fields. More exactly, that emotions can be influenced or even created this way. And the first research uncovered ways to feelings like... 'the sensed presence', fear, and other experiences. Now, imagine targeting such a weapon (yes, a weapon!) at a large mob of people, whether they seek God or nice football match. Not all would be influenced, but...

It's getting ugly from this moment.

[CaptainPenguin]

Fake Ghosts as a weapon! I can see it now!

George Bush: "We are confident that there are FGWs in China."

FGWs: Fake Ghost Weapons

[Agar]

The only reason he was confident Hussian had weapons of mass destruction was we sold them to him during the Iran/Iraq war. Back then, we had intelligence that he was using them almost daily. My guess as to why we haven't found them is he already used them all!

Imagine an orbital network of satilites sending out those special haunting waves. Interesting sci-fi premise. "The haunted planet"

[Siren365]

Hmmm.... that supernatural stuff kind of freaks me out. I'll admit I'm a wimp, but it interesting nonetheless. The Haunted Planet... that would be a cool idea.

[sniperspy]

Actually, the human body is sensitive to things like magnetic differences in the atmosphere. It does not control our emotions, but the body senses something is different and reacts in its own way. Some become scared, some just feel a "presence". It really doesn't control our emotions, that is always our reaction to outside circumstances.

[Ria Hawk]

I believe that ghosts could exist, simply because there is so much unexplained evidence.  Plus it helps that nine months of the year I work in a very haunted theater.  Three ghosts.

[sniperspy]

THREE? How do you know which one made the popcorn machine go crazy and which one put the giant fan in theatre 6? Also, how do you blame them in fron of your boss without looking like an idiot?

[Ria Hawk]

You misunderstand.  Not movie theater.  Play theater.  And multiple people have had encounters.  There's the White Lady, who hangs out in front of the stage.  There's the Sad Man who hangs out in what is now the scenery shop, and then there's the Thing in the basement.

[sniperspy]

OOOH! Can I come face the Thing in the basement? I'm a professional ghost hunter (well I would be if that were a profession) and like taking on basement dwellers! For a small extra fee I'll rid you of the other 2 as well.

[Ria Hawk]

Well, the White Lady and the Sad Man are more or less harmless, if a little mischievious.  The Thing in the basement is... scary.  Most of us thing that that one is actually malevolent.

[sniperspy]

Thats awesome! I love a challenge agaisnt the ghosts. One time I got to face a ghost who threw books at me, but that library has never forgotten me for ridding them of it!

[CaptainPenguin]

Snipes, I think you may have been watching GhostBusters too much...

I believe wholeheartedly in ghosts!

[Siren365]

Me too. I've never actually had any encounters with ghosts, unless you count my uncle's spirit. He got really sick one year and came to stay with us. He died in my brother's room. We were packing up his stuff and this telephone he owned started ringing. We answered, but there was no one on the end. We hung it up and the phone started ringing again. It kept on ringing until finally, my mother unplugged the phone from the wall. And it kept ringing even while unplugged. She'd pratically taken the phone apart, but it still kept ringing. My mom told her friend to take the phone and drive far away from the house and throw it out the window. Plus, there have been other things, but nonetheless, ghosts, spirits and all that other stuff are quite real. At least I think so.

[sniperspy]

Actually Captain, I've never seen any of the Ghostbusters movies. The experiance with the library phantom was actually a dream, but it was on of those that seem incredibally real even after you wake up. Also, in my house, people here their name being called when they are alone. Everyone does, including my friends and others.

[Siren365]

They say you're not supposed to answer when a ghost calls your name. I'm not sure why though.

[CaptainPenguin]

Because they then know your true identity and can follow you wherever you go.

[sniperspy]

Well, I have never answered, though I went hunting for it once! I missed it though.

[Ylorea]

Depending on the ghost, I would not mind too much if they kept following me around.

Again, this largely depends on the ghost in question. I would never like my grandmothers ghost to haunt me, but my grandfather's ghost will be welcome in my house at any time.

For those that wonder: I do believe there is a lot that sience can not explain and I do believe that statistics might very well be the most unsientific thing ever invented.

Yours,
Ylorea

[Kinslayer]

They say you're not supposed to answer when a ghost calls your name. I'm not sure why though.

The reasoning behind this is that the ghost is called a "fetch."  That is, it's a manifestation that fetches you to your grave. This is most common in western Europe, but has been noted in cultures worldwide. A fetch isn't a proper ghost, i.e. it isn't the spirit of someone who has died yet, but rather is seen as either a precognitive phenomenon or is a version of the person it targets. In other words, a fetch is your own ghost, though you haven't died yet.  A fetch typically isn't an unknown presence, as a typical ghost would be, but instead appears as the person fetched.  That is, you see your duplicate, hear your own voice calling for you, or your reflection in a mirror doesn't mimic your own movements--or simply isn't breathing.

Magnetism does seem to be related to hauntings, but whether this is causal or not is still a matter of debate and investigation.  The magnetic fields of a haunting site are several times higher than normal background fields, and are very "noisy."  That is, it's a chaotic energy pattern, rather than a strong coherent field.  Areas shielded from magnetic energy and those of very high field strength don't seem to show any haunting activity--how often do you hear about hauntings of microchip manufacturers or the MRI room of a hospital?  The fields generated by televisions can fall within the range common to hauntings, as evidenced by an older all-manual television (i.e. knobs instead of buttons and no remote control) turning itself on.  This may also help explain the principle behind EVP/ITC (electronic voice phenomenon/instrumental transcommunication). Computers also seem to be a common haunted item. Perhaps the "ghost in the machine" is more literal than previously imagined.