Think You’ve Seen A Ghost? Just Turn Out The Lights

Are you one of many Americans who believe they’ve experienced the presence of a ghost? Your own brain could be deceiving you. I am not referring to intelligence or alertness, but the electrical inner-workings of the brain. Electrical interference could be the culprit, rather than a supernatural entity. Let me explain.

Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism refers to an invisible magnetic field generated by any electric charge in motion. Transformers, light bulbs, and anything else that conducts or uses electricity emits an electromagnetic field. Much like light or sound waves, these electromagnetic waves can be perceived by our senses and brain. In fact, electricity exists within the human brain, which sends messages via electric currents.

Is it possible that the electrical currents in our brain can be affected by external electrical currents in our environment, causing the brain to sense things that aren’t really there? Parapsychologist William Role seems to think so (Role, 2008). In a 2008 episode of Megascience, Dr. Roll performed an experiment in a Georgia motel thought to be haunted.

The Bell House

Upon arriving at the alleged haunted house in Milledgeville, Ga., William Roll walked around a house with a magnetometer, an instrument for measuring the intensity of a magnetic field. Initially, he read high levels of electromagnetism in certain areas of the house.

Now some ghost hunters and believers might say this indicates the probability of a supernatural entity, since ghosts are thought to emit electromagnetic fields. Ghost hunters often arm themselves with similar ‘equipment for hunting ghosts.’

Back to Parapsychologist William Role, who is not using his magnetometer to hunt for ghosts. He had a different theory behind the electromagnetic fields has was finding in the Bell House. He suspected the building’s electrical wiring was the cause of varying and high levels of electromagnetism. He asked the main power supply for the building to be shut off. Effectively, this eliminated all man-made electrical currents produced by the building.

Once the building was powered down, Roll’s fired up his magnetometer to see if the readings had changed at all. The device detected no electromagnetism waves at all. None. Zero. Zilch. The paranormal mystery behind the Bell House is most likely caused by the building’s own wiring and electrical appliances.

This is not new. Penn & Teller revealed a similar scenario on their show Bullshit! when they tracked around a team of ghosthunters (Jillette, 2006). When walking through an supposed haunted building, the ghost hunting team picked up high levels of electromagnetic fields on their own magnetometers. However, the show’s producers did a good job of showing just how many active electrical sources the team passed by during this process, uncovering this team’s, err, bullshit.

So Are You Saying The Electricity Is To Blame For All Ghosts?

Of course not. Electromagnetism is likely not the cause of every paranormal experience, but it’s a realistic explanation caused by common environmental factors. In other words, this could explain a lot of ghost sightings.

Electromagnetic interference in our brain can cause us to hallucinate, sometimes making us see things or hear things that aren’t there. Medscape / WebMD notes that “Interestingly, the limbic system is one of the most electrically volatile parts of the brain, increasing the likelihood that it might spontaneously erupt occasionally, even in normal people.”. So far, this is the best explanation for what has happened in the Bell House. Given our everyday proximity to electricity, it seems more likely that paranormal experiences in the 21st century are due to electrical fields rather than paranormal entities.

Citations:

1. Role, William (Parapsychologist, Invited Expert). (2008). Megascience: Ghosthunters [Television Series]. New York:Discovery Communications, LLC.
2. Jillette, Penn (Author, Host). (2006). Bullshit! [Television and DVD Series]. New York: CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Image Credits

1. Ghostbusters II logo courtesy of BravoTV, logo probably copyrighted by Columbia Pictures Corporation.
2. Ghost hunter cartoon courtesy of AnnieM.
3. Ghost lamp courtesy of Daddy Types.

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Tweet by The Monkey on Jan 26, ‘08 in Paranormal