Spooky Science
The idea of a restless spirit trapped in a house, seeking closure, is a theme that resonates across cultures and generations. But what makes these stories so compelling? Is it the possibility of encountering the unknown, or is it something more profound, even psychological, at play?
Fast forward to the twentieth century, where we can dive deep into the world of hauntings available on the interwebs. For instance, there is the story of a three-year-old from Dayton, Ohio, who saw a cemetery filled with grandmas standing around and looking at the ground. He told his dad that they were all “paused,” a term he learned when his dad had to pause the cartoons for lunch and dinner.
And there’s the story of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Co. The Stanley Hotel was used as the premise for The Shining. Note, I said premise because the exterior of the hotel in the movie is actually the Overlook Hotel in Oregon, and the interior was a set built at Elstree Studios in England. Growing up in Colorado, I have often been to the Stanley Hotel, and it is beautiful! In April 2016, Henry Yau, the spokesman for the Children’s Museum in Houston, visited and stayed at the Stanley Hotel with a friend. He took many photos. When Henry and his friend left the next day, he noticed something while going through his photos. He captured a person at the top of the staircase, even though he made sure the area was void of people before he took the picture. He posted it on Instagram, joking that he thinks he captured a ghost. It’s a very convincing photo.
MY GHOST STORY!
And, as for apparitions, here’s my story! My dad grew up in Crabtree, Luxor, Pennsylvania, and often talked about his godmother, Mrs. Paroch, who lived nearby. According to him, she had a remarkable and accurate sixth sense. She knew when people, including herself, were going to die. He also shared fond memories of playing at the Paroch’s farm, such as when he and his friends raised a corner of the barn with a carjack. Someone let go of the handle on the jack; it came up and hit my dad in the jaw, causing him to bite a hole in his tongue. He used to tell the story with a big laugh and show us all the hole in his tongue. It was gross. My dad had a lot of great Luxor stories about the whole neighborhood, including their neighbors the Forbes’, whom one of the streets was named after.
When I lived briefly in Virginia, my parents visited for the summer. As a treat, my husband and I went on a road trip with our kids and my parents to Luxor, Pennsylvania, to see my dad’s old stomping grounds. And our visit was so meaningful to me. We went to a little Italian restaurant, where the owner sang to us in Italian. We walked over to a lake where my kids could play. And we visited his childhood home. The owners even invited us in for lemonade.
As the day ended, my dad suggested we walk down a dirt road to see if the Paroch house was still there. The sun was setting as we walked, but all I saw was foliage. Since my dad was going blind, I guided him, describing what I saw. He had stories about all the landmarks, including when he and his brother saw a ghost through a window after Mr. Paroch, even though the house was empty. Still, as we walked, all I could see was foliage. We had to return because it was getting late, and I had to feed my kids. Just as we were ready to return, we came around a bend, and down in a nook, I spotted what looked like a house with a large, dilapidated, sloping red roof in the front surrounded by foliage. It was hard to see with the sun setting and all the plants.
I described the house to my dad, and he was so elated. He choked up and said, “Gabby, that’s it. That’s the old Paroch house!” As the sun set, I suggested that Joe, my husband, return early the following day to take photos of the house before we drove back to Virginia.
The next morning at sunrise, Joe drove to the area but couldn’t take the car down the dirt road. So, he parked and walked for about thirty minutes, unable to find anything. He called me, thinking he was lost, so I gave him directions to retrace the steps Dad and I took. Joe followed them, even going into the nook and walking through the brush, but still found nothing. He searched for ninety minutes but returned with no photos to show the house.
So, I question what I saw. The details matched my dad’s memories. When I described the story to some of my friends, some thought I had seen a residual home that was no longer there. While I have another analogy. First, my husband could have gotten lost and gone down the wrong path, which makes complete sense because he is often lost without me, literally and metaphorically.
Second, the sun was setting. And I saw a red roof that was sloping down. A green plant can appear red during sunset because the sun’s angle causes sunlight to scatter. At sunset, the atmosphere filters out shorter wavelengths of light like blue and green, leaving longer wavelengths like red and orange. This redder light reflects off the plant, giving it a reddish tint even though the plant is still green. It’s an optical effect, much like how so many of us Los Angelinos see a red sky when there are fires in the area. As for the details of the house, in addition to the trick of light, my unconscious memories from when I was a kid must have crept into my description of the house. So, while on that incredibly special walk with my best friend, my dad, I thought I saw something that was just a trick of the light and a jumble of precious emotions.
Optical illusions are often one of the many reasons why people think they see ghosts when, in fact, the sight of the ghost is connected to lighting conditions. As I noted before, optical illusions are caused by refraction, a bending of light, or even reflection that can create the appearance of figures or shapes. For example, light from a window can bounce off surfaces or bend in ways that create ghostly images. There is also a mathematical theory that describes geometric optics, called the Snell-Descartes Law, named after René Descartes and Dutch astronomer Willebrordus Snellius (yes, that was his real name!).
Another type of optical illusion that doesn’t involve light is called pareidolia, also known as pattern recognition. It’s when people see faces or figures in random patterns, like mist, shadows, or reflections, which they might interpret as ghosts. Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon in which the brain detects familiar patterns, especially faces. It’s a function of the brain’s pattern recognition system, which can be explained using probability and neural network theory principles. Pattern recognition algorithms derived from mathematical models can simulate how the brain assigns meaning to ambiguous or random patterns.
Some people will say that they think there is a ghost in the room because they felt a sudden drop in temperature. These are called cold spots and are often reported in haunted locations. But these cold spots result from air drafts or thermodynamic imbalances in the environment, like heat moving from one place to another in a confined space. These air drafts are why people are likely to feel cold spots in decaying homes because there is little or no insulation. So, these cold spots can be attributed to the laws of thermodynamics, which explain how energy moves through the air or even through materials, which can cause localized cooling.
Also, sometimes people think they hear ghosts, which can be attributed to many practical factors like friction, which I mentioned in my recent podcast on tribology. The reports of hearing unexplained footsteps or creaking sounds in old houses are often caused by the expansion and contraction of wooden floorboards due to changes in temperature or humidity. As the wood expands and rubs against nails or other wood, friction can create creaking sounds that seem like footsteps.
Hearing doors opening or closing is a common paranormal claim. These noises can often be explained by frictional forces, such as when a door is slightly uneven or poorly hinged. Changes in air pressure, drafts, or vibrations can cause the door to move if the friction holding it in place is low, making it seem like a ghost is responsible. Or, in some houses, some might say there is a ghost holding the door closed, when it could be a cracked foundation and the house is settled, making it harder to push the door open or closed.
Seeing furniture move can often be attributed to uneven legs, slight tilts on the floor, or a smooth or slippery surface. These factors can cause the furniture to move slightly over time.
Scientific, psychological, and environmental factors can explain many ghostly sounds. Much like pareidolia causes us to see things that aren’t there; auditory pareidolia also causes us to hear sounds that aren’t what we think they are. Infrasound, which is sound at frequencies below 20 Hz, which is below the human hearing range, can cause feelings of discomfort, anxiety, and even hallucinations. People experience the physics of resonance, which is when certain frequencies resonate with human organs, creating sensations that might be interpreted as supernatural.
Similarly, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can affect the brain, especially the temporal lobes, causing auditory hallucinations or strange sensations that might be misinterpreted as ghostly encounters. It’s fascinating how EMF’s can really screw with our brains. Variations in electromagnetic fields, particularly from wiring or nearby electrical devices, can cause sensations of being watched. Exceedingly high EMF exposure can affect brain activity, which can lead to hallucinations or odd perceptions. Math can be used to predict the effect of EMF fluctuations, particularly Maxwell’s equations, named after James Clerk Maxwell and Oliver Heaviside, which govern the behavior of electric and magnetic fields.
Environmental factors also play a role. Echoes and sounds traveling through walls or floors can distort or delay ordinary sounds like footsteps or distant conversations, making them seem untraceable or supernatural. White noise from fans or air conditioning units can contain random sounds that the brain interprets as whispers or voices.
Psychological factors often enhance these experiences. Stress, anxiety, and suggestibility can heighten a person’s sensitivity to sound, making them more likely to perceive ordinary noises as paranormal. In a state of heightened fear or expectation, even the creak of a floorboard can be interpreted as a ghostly presence. Similarly, hypnagogia, a symptom of narcolepsy, which I struggle with, or sleep paralysis, which is a state in which a person is partially awake but unable to move, can cause vivid auditory and visual hallucinations, often interpreted as encounters with spirits. Tinnitus, which causes phantom ringing or buzzing in the ears, often from going to loud concerts or blasting your earbuds or speakers, can sometimes be perceived as ghostly whispers or voices in quiet, eerie environments.
Finally, visits from apparitions may help us find closure. For myself, after my dad passed away, I still have undeniable moments when I know that he is with me.
All these factors work together to explain why people might think they hear, see, or feel ghosts, with the brain interpreting environmental stimuli in ways that align with the expectations of the supernatural.
Many ghostly phenomena can be explained using principles of physics and mathematics, offering a scientific perspective on what might initially seem supernatural.
These explanations show how applying physics and mathematics can demystify ghostly phenomena, transforming what appears supernatural into scientifically understandable events.
The thing about ghosts and apparitions is that we cannot see them, but we sense that we can feel them. But because we can’t see them, how can we believe that they exist? Sometimes, the things that frighten us and fill us with a sense of fear cannot be found in tangible objects. And sometimes, that fear is so immense that we feel crippled. But the same could be true for the feeling of love. The things that make us happy and fill us with a sense of love cannot be defined through tangible objects or measured amounts. We cannot see love, but we can certainly feel it. And sometimes, that love is so immense that we feel safe, secure, and validated. So, when we sense the presence of a loved one who has passed, there is no sense of fear but rather a sense of indisputable love. So, who’s to say that the apparitions we think we see or feel are there? In my opinion, only you. Because, no doubt, the love you feel for their presence and for being in their world and having them in yours can’t be disputed either.
On this planet and in the universe, there is love. And as we head into the holidays, may you feel the presence of your passed loved ones so much that your hearts are full. May you know that you are loved and that there is nothing worth fearing. May you use that to fill you with the strength and the courage to seize it every day and make it your most memorable day and wonderful life! With my friends, carpe diem!