OVER 30 PERCENT OF AMERICANS BELIEVE IN GHOSTS. ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

A ghost is said to be the an unusual sighting of a deceased person. Often similar in appearance to that person, and usually encountered in places he or she frequented, or in association with the person's former belongings. Ghosts are mostly associated with hauntings. The phenomena may include apparitions, poltergeist disturbances, cold drafts, sounds of footsteps and voices, and various odors. According to a poll conducted in 2005 by the Gallup Organization, about 32% of Americans believe in the existence of ghosts. The term ghost has been replaced by apparition in parapsychology, because the word ghost is deemed insufficiently precise.

Another widespread belief concerning ghosts is that they were composed of a misty, airy, or subtle material. Although the human soul was sometimes symbolically or literally depicted in ancient cultures as a bird or other animal, it was widely held that the soul was an exact reproduction of the body in every feature, even down to clothing the person wore. Many Eastern religious traditions also subscribe to the concept of ghosts. The Hindu Garuda Purana has detailed information about ghosts. The Hebrew Torah and the Bible contain few references to ghosts, associating spiritism with forbidden occult activities.

Once the idea of a ghost appears in a household . . . no longer is an object merely mislaid. . . .There gets to be a dynamic in a place where the idea that it's haunted takes on a life of its own. Sound is thought to be another cause of supposed sightings. Frequencies lower than 20 hertz are called infrasound and are normally inaudible, but scientists Richard Lord and Richard Wiseman have concluded that infrasound can cause humans to experience bizarre feelings in a room, such as anxiety, extreme sorrow or even the chills. The traditional perception of ghosts wearing clothing is considered illogical by some researchers, given the supposed spiritual nature of ghosts, suggesting that the basis of what a ghost is said to look like and consist of is quite dependent on preconceptions made by society. Skeptics also say that to date there is no credible scientific evidence that any location is inhabited by spirits of the dead. Booooo!