Why Do Some People See Ghosts While Others Don't?

[Ellainix]

http://io9.com/5388994/why-do-some-peop ... thers-dont

The article basically says that people who see ghosts are usually less stable individuals.

[LoneMateria]

Does that really surprise you?  If you see something out of the corner of your eye or something you can't explain and you say its a ghost you are obviously an unstable individual.  Just like the people who have something happen they can't explain, whether its a statistical event like having a 5% chance to survive something and do survive it or a lapse in judgement event like I don't remember making coffee, and attribute it to a deity.  God made me coffee or my dead grandmother moved my book because she doesn't like them.

Do you ever watch ghost hunters or a haunting on T.V.  I find it absolutely hilarious to watch.  They use meters that are affected by electricity (which flows through the wires in our walls) to "find a ghost or a portal to another realm or what the fuck ever".  Then if they have a little lens flare or the shitty batteries they use to power up their equipment run out of power a ghost did it and they are vindicated.  Also if you ever watched those shows notice how the vast majority of the time its catholic families that get haunted.  People are obviously predisposed to believing in this crap.  Uh oh a strict catholic family just moved into an old house call the prick ... I mean the priest so he can throw water on your carpet and bed and walls and say your house is now clean ... moist but clean.  

People might not just have some disorder that predisposes them to seeing ghosts but i'm sure there is an environmental/educational factor that accompanies it.

Right now for some reason I have the family guy episode in my head where their house was built on an indian burial ground... and this quote comes to mind

Lois: Peter, are you peeing in that skull?
Peter Griffin [sarcastically]: No, Lois, I'm getting up and walking all the way to the bathroom and doing it there. Pain in the ass.

[AlP]

My Mom thinks she sees ghosts, usually she interprets it as seeing dead ancestors. It happens when she wakes up during the night. I'm no expert but I think it's due to two things. First she remains conscious long enough to remember in the morning (you have to remain awake for several minutes or the memory is lost). Second I think its hypnagogic hallucination. I sometimes hallucinate too but mine are auditory rather than visual and I don't believe they are real. Apparently this runs in families.

[LoneMateria]

My Mom thinks she sees ghosts, usually she interprets it as seeing dead ancestors. It happens when she wakes up during the night. I'm no expert but I think it's due to two things. First she remains conscious long enough to remember in the morning (you have to remain awake for several minutes or the memory is lost). Second I think its hypnagogic hallucination. I sometimes hallucinate too but mine are auditory rather than visual and I don't believe they are real. Apparently this runs in families.

Also another possibility is a waking dream.  And another is she just dreamed it and happens to remember that bit of her dream.

[Kylyssa]

I can't find it at the moment but there's a study linking excess caffeine consumption with seeing ghosts.  To me, it's just tricks the mind plays brought on by over stimulation, anxiety, a sleep state, sleep deprivation - whatever.

Regarding "Ghost Hunters" etc.- Every time my roommate watches the show I kick myself in the ass for not thinking up the idea for that show myself.  I mean, holy hot crap, people, the production values are pathetic and the actors get to travel to all sorts of interesting places and all they have to do is stand around with some equipment in the dark and get creeped out by things that go bump in the night.  And people eat it up like candy.

There's now a childrens show about ghost hunting in which it is presented as real science.  I can't recall the name but my roommate was watching it last week and it really pissed me off to see it presented the way it was.

[Ultima22689]

I can't find it at the moment but there's a study linking excess caffeine consumption with seeing ghosts.  To me, it's just tricks the mind plays brought on by over stimulation, anxiety, a sleep state, sleep deprivation - whatever.

Regarding "Ghost Hunters" etc.- Every time my roommate watches the show I kick myself in the ass for not thinking up the idea for that show myself.  I mean, holy hot crap, people, the production values are pathetic and the actors get to travel to all sorts of interesting places and all they have to do is stand around with some equipment in the dark and get creeped out by things that go bump in the night.  And people eat it up like candy.

There's now a childrens show about ghost hunting in which it is presented as real science.  I can't recall the name but my roommate was watching it last week and it really pissed me off to see it presented the way it was.

Egon is sad.

[Ninteen45]

There's now a childrens show about ghost hunting in which it is presented as real science.  I can't recall the name but my roommate was watching it last week and it really pissed me off to see it presented the way it was.

Hmm, An african american boy and a caucasian girl and a wacky scientist with curly hair?

Yeah, Used to watch that. I think it was called Myth hunters or something. It was good. it had a skeptical stance, did stuff like Creating a UFO using glue sticks, a balloon and some dark and other stuff. Basicallly Myth busters and Art attack cross for halloween.

[Ellainix]

Does that really surprise you?

Nope.

[Renegnicat]

Someone Came to me with help for a haunting. I didn't want to hurt them. I used to be that messed up, so I know how it feels when someone tells you, "you're stupid. ghosts aren't real"(not that I ever believe in ghosts, mind you. Other stuff.)

When this happens, it's best to help them by giving them some practical advice that will help them. If someone is suffering from a haunting, usually all it takes is for the priest to come along and splash some water on the house, and that'll help the person immensely. however, a lot of hauntings are caused by repressed issues in the individual, and while Holy water may help temporarily, if the issues are not resolved, the haunting will resume.

Fight ghosts with psychologists. Not holy water. *this has been a public service anouncement from the National Psychologists Association*    

[karadan]

Someone Came to me with help for a haunting. I didn't want to hurt them. I used to be that messed up, so I know how it feels when someone tells you, "you're stupid. ghosts aren't real"(not that I ever believe in ghosts, mind you. Other stuff.)

When this happens, it's best to help them by giving them some practical advice that will help them. If someone is suffering from a haunting, usually all it takes is for the priest to come along and splash some water on the house, and that'll help the person immensely. however, a lot of hauntings are caused by repressed issues in the individual, and while Holy water may help temporarily, if the issues are not resolved, the haunting will resume.

Fight ghosts with psychologists. Not holy water. *this has been a public service anouncement from the National Psychologists Association*    

[atheistlibrary]

The same reason why "some people see God and others don't".  

[Ihateyoumike]

The same reasons others claim to hear or see their god.
The same reasons people claim to see UFOs.
The same reasons people claim to talk to the dead.
The same reasons a killer will claim his dog told him to do it.

As for what those reasons are? Psychosis? check. Religion? check. Money? check. Attention? check.
I think there's a plethora of reasons, but my guess as to what the main reason is: The mind searches to make sense out of what it doesn't understand, and when the mind makes something up, it can feel every bit as real as the real world. Also, when your psychosis is reinforced with movies, books, and supposed "first hand accounts" of the same thing happening to others... It can seem to have a snowball effect.

I'm too lazy to search in detail now, but I seem to remember hearing that the first reports of UFO sightings only started in the early 1900s and once the theme got out there the reports have been flooding in ever since. I believe I remember hearing the mass hysteria about UFOs started around the time the first radio broadcast of War of the Worlds aired and people took it as reality. As I said though, I'm too lazy to really look up where I got that info, so for now, just accept it as my worthless little 2 pennies.

[Faradaympp]

If you really want to see something you can, anyone can convince themselves that they saw a ghost, look at how many people have convinced themselves that there is a god. The reasons could probably vary from person to person; they want there to be an afterlife, they want to talk to a deceased loved one or they're gullible and will believe anything said with enough conviction.

[xSilverPhinx]

I know that people confuse a lot of other things for ghosts. I was watching a video somewhere (I think it was on YouTube) where a girl put on a helmet that sent electromagnetic waves into a specific part of her brain and she said she would feel several presences in the room during the test when there was actually none. She was already a believer so maybe she had some mental predisposition toward that sort of thing, but still, it explains that ghostly feeling she got.

Also, our brains are always reacting with natural and scientifically measurable things which we are unconscious of, but affect our behaviours and intuition and that can easily make us think are ghosts or other such "energies" .

[i_am_i]

Nobody sees ghosts. They may think they do but I very much doubt that anyone has ever seen what's called a ghost, which is just a made-up thing. Nobody has ever been abducted by aliens either.

People, some people anyway, are either very weird or they're very troubled. Whichever it is they have very weak minds. In my opinion.

But such people do make life a little more interesting, as long as they're not being too annoying about it and pose no threat to themselves or others.