Scientists explain why people can "see" or "hear" ghosts

People all over the world believe that they can see or hear ghosts. Maybe you have a story like this too.

But there is no scientific proof of the existence of spirits, ghosts, or paranormal phenomena, so what's behind these "encounters"? According to Christopher French, a professor of psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, ghost sightings are often "sincere misinterpretations of things that do have a natural explanation", Live Science writes.

"Just because you can't think of an explanation doesn't mean there isn't one," the professor says.

Christopher French studies non-paranormal explanations for ghostly encounters. These explanations include hallucinations or perceptions of things that are not there, false memories of events that did not happen, and pareidolia, the tendency to see a face or something significant in an inanimate object or random picture.

The human brain tends to miss things and misremember events, and it can jump to conclusions when trying to understand ambiguous experiences. That is, when a person wants to believe that they have seen a ghost or other legendary creature, they will believe it.

There are also some medical conditions that make perceived ghostly encounters more likely. One area of research for the French is a disorder called sleep paralysis, in which people think they are fully awake but cannot move, often sensing the presence of evil.

"It's as if your mind wakes up, but your body doesn't. You've got this interesting mix of normal waking consciousness and dream consciousness, and the contents of the dream are coming through into waking consciousness. The results can be absolutely terrifying," French explains.

The scientist noted that if someone gets sleep paralysis without any prior knowledge of the disorder, it is not irrational for that person to assume that they have had a supernatural experience. However, even during sleep paralysis, when people are dependent on their dreams, the presence that people encounter is often a dark figure in the corner of the room.

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