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The traditional perception of ghosts
The traditional perception of ghosts wearing clothing
is considered illogical by some researchers, given the
supposed spiritual nature of ghosts, suggesting that the
basis of what a ghost is said to look like and consist
of is quite dependent on preconceptions made by
society. Skeptics also say that, to date, there is
no credible scientific evidence that any location is
inhabited by spirits of the dead.
Some researchers, such as Professor Michael Persinger
(Laurentian University, Canada), have speculated that
changes in geomagnetic fields (created, e.g., by
tectonic stresses in the Earth's crust or solar
activity) could stimulate the brain's temporal lobes and
produce many of the experiences associated with
hauntings. This theory has been tested in various ways.
Some scientists have examined the relationship between
the time of onset of unusual phenomena in allegedly
haunted locations and any sudden increases in global
geomagnetic activity. Others have investigated whether
the location of alleged hauntings is associated with
certain types of magnetic activity.
Finally, a third
strand of work has involved laboratory studies in which
stimulation of the temporal lobe with transcerebral
magnetic fields has elicited subjective experiences that
strongly parallel phenomena associated with hauntings.
All of this work is controversial; it has attracted a
large amount of debate and disagreement.
Ghost - Popular Culture
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