According to Richard Wiseman, professor of social understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, there are two reasons why we believe in paranormal events. One of these is people’s personal experiences (many say they have encountered paranormal events after losing loved ones), and the other is the media.
The professor also says that people’s psychological characteristics also play a role. We have an open and creative mind. We want to imagine a world where there is no pain and suffering, and where our loved ones are with us. We also look for patterns in everything, and sometimes we see them in places where they don’t actually exist.
A 2013 study at the University of British Columbia found that those who tend to attribute human characteristics to non-human objects (anthropomorphization) are also more likely to believe in ghosts. These people have the same psychological structure. They are open-minded, creative, and have a pretty good ability to immerse themselves in a situation (like a movie or a game) and identify patterns.
Also, suggestion is important. In one experiment, some people who were told a place was haunted actually began to feel it. At the same time, the ability to believe in something that seems unreal allows us to create amazing things. This applies, for example, to a human landing on the moon or to developing a vaccine against Covid within a few months.
Source: Ferra
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