Title 1: What kind of people are prone to "seeing ghosts"? This little child tells the truth 1.Believing that "there are ghosts" is easier to "see ghosts" 2. Follow intuition", it is easier to "see ghosts" 3.Can't tolerate ambiguity, it is easier to "see ghosts" 4. Half-hangers" of religious believers, more likely to "see the devil" 5. "Hell" is a product of brain chemistry

The Bunny's Tale: Do You Believe There Are Ghosts?

When he got up in the morning, the little bunny told his parents that the light in the toilet was broken: I got up at 5:30 to go to the toilet, and the light flashed, dimmed, and then went out.

Mother Rabbit asked: Then will you be afraid?

The little bunny said: "I was a little frightened, but I believe in science, there are no ghosts, and the lights are broken." So I'm not afraid.

In the evening, there is a question in the language homework, ask: The common feature of the four major chinese folk myths is that ————

The answer the little rabbit filled in was: there is no scientific basis.

Then, the little rabbit said to his parents solemnly: Adults should not let children believe in God, because if they believe in God, they will believe that there are ghosts, and children will be afraid. When I become a dad, I'll let my kids only believe in science.

People who only believe in science and do not believe in gods and ghosts, will not "see ghosts"? Look at the results of psychological research.

Studies have shown that humans may have evolved to be "ghost-seeing" or seeing supernatural phenomena. Any of us may "see ghosts", but obviously some people are more likely to "see ghosts". For example:

<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="17" >1. Believe in "ghosts" and it is easier to "see ghosts"</h1>

Sociologist Christopher Bud said, "The first condition for having a ghost in a house is that someone believes there are ghosts in the house." ”

At any given moment, our perception of what's going on around us is driven by our expectations, needs, and beliefs. Especially when we receive rough and vague sensory information, or when we are not sure if there is a danger in the current environment, we are cautious and more likely to be frightened. This highly vigilant state of mind may strengthen our belief in the paranormal and lead us to "see ghosts." A study published in 2013 confirmed that paranormal phenomena are most likely to occur in dangerous or ambiguous environments.

Therefore, people who believe in the existence of ghosts and other supernatural creatures may regard vague stimuli such as the eerie and creaking sounds in old houses as ghosts, while people who do not believe in ghosts may look for more realistic reasons.

Because the average person generally believes in supernatural phenomena, it is not surprising that many people will eventually "see ghosts". The 2001 and 2005 Gallup Polls showed that about 75 percent of Americans held at least one supernatural belief, and about 50 percent of them had enough supernatural beliefs to be called "believers."

The most commonly used tool for psychologists to measure supernatural beliefs is the Revised Supernatural Belief Scale published by Jerome Tobacyk, which measures six supernatural beliefs as well as traditional religious beliefs. Categories of paranormal phenomena include:

Foreknowledge (ability to foresee the future)

Strange life forms (believe in aliens, Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, etc.)

Idealism (belief that people can communicate with the dead)

Superstition (astrology, the number 13 is unlucky, etc.)

Sorcery (believe in "black magic")

Superpowers (believe in mind reading and the like)

Using Tobacyk's scale and other similar measurements, the researchers found that people who believe in the supernatural were more likely to embrace conspiracy theories and pseudoscience. Women seem to be more inclined to support supernatural beliefs than men, but men are more inclined to believe in aliens and other exotic life forms such as the Loch Ness Monster. The history of childhood trauma is also associated with supernatural beliefs.

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It turns out that a person's "cognitive style" can predict supernatural beliefs. Cognitive style and intelligence are not the same thing. Highly intelligent people may differ in their preferences for solving problems and judging true or false. There are many different types of cognitive styles, one of which is called "intuition," which often uses intuition rather than analysis to understand the world. Intuitive people tend to "follow their instincts," they can quickly find solutions to problems, and believe that their feelings and intuition will lead them to the truth. Conversely, those with an "analytical" cognitive style, rely heavily on empirical information and try to avoid being strongly influenced by emotions and intuition, are slower and more organized to solve problems.

Both of these cognitive approaches are effective, but some studies have shown that "intuitive" people are more likely to believe in supernatural beliefs.

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People with certain personality traits believe more in supernatural beliefs. Specifically, people who score high on experiential openness, extroversion, or seeking sensations are more likely to support supernatural beliefs. Those who don't consider themselves "hardworking" are also more likely to hold such beliefs.

I recently did an experiment with two students and the results showed that a person's acceptance of ambiguity can predict how easily he is intimidated. People who can't tolerate ambiguity, they like certainty, and they're uncomfortable with uncertainty. They were uneasy about the uncertainty of both the present and the future, and in our study, they showed greater uneasiness when they saw vague or creepy images. Although we didn't directly ask participants if they believed in ghosts or had seen them, I'm sure the people who were most likely to be frightened were also the most likely to "see" ghosts.

<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="85" >4. Religious believers who are "half-hanging" are more likely to "see ghosts"</h1>

Almost every religion offers an explanation for what happens to us after death, convincing us that death is not the end. In fact, there is evidence that very religious people are not as afraid of death as others.

But there's a catch here.

Religion may alleviate our anxiety about death, or it may increase our fear of ghosts, ghosts, and other supernatural beings. However, this may depend on how religious you actually are.

The available evidence suggests that people who profess to be believers but do not go to church often believe in ghosts more than those who do not believe in religion and those who are devout religious believers.

Since most religions are made up of impressive prophets, gods, souls, angels, and miracles, the tenets of religious beliefs can affect what you see. They may make you believe that there is a god, but they will also make you believe that there are ghosts.

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About 50 percent of Parkinson's patients report that hallucinations are one of the symptoms they experience, and these hallucinations sometimes come in the form of ghosts or other supernatural creatures. A recent exciting study in the lab of neuroscientist Olaf Blanke suggests that disruption of communication between the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain may be responsible for hallucinations in Parkinson's patients, and that Blanco and his colleagues have also found that they can induce a "ghost-seeing" experience in many epileptic patients by stimulating the border area between the temporal and parietal lobes.

Thus, "seeing ghosts" is largely a psychological experience rooted in a biological basis. The hallucinations that high-altitude climbers, polar explorers and lone sailors often report can be traced back to chemical changes in the brain triggered by factors such as hypothermia, low oxygen levels, and social isolation.

All in all, people who will "see ghosts" are likely to believe in the supernatural, or at least be open to the possibility. If you happen to have a combination of "intolerable ambiguity + intuition + religious belief", then once you encounter a gloomy and terrible environment, you will be unstoppable and rush to a creepy "encounter".

This article is adapted and compiled from Frank T. McAndrew Ph.D.'s article "Who Sees Ghosts?", with additions and deletions based on the original text.

Originally written by Frank T. McAndrew Ph.D.

Rewrite: Tang poems

Edit: Zhi Nian

Disclaimer: The content of the article is the author's personal opinion, and does not mean that this public account endorses or supports its views. This official account has the right of final interpretation of this statement.

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