We’ve all heard ghost stories growing up whether it be from a sibling, cousin, or friends. For many years, people have wondered if ghosts are actually real. Here’s the breakdown of why ghosts may or may not exist. 

Starting off, what exactly is a ghost? Well, according to Sciencesewsforstudents.org a ghost or spirit is a dead person who interacts with the living world. Ghosts are reported to whisper or groan, cause things to move or fall, mess with electronics, and appear as a shadowy, blurry, or see-through figure according to Sciencenewsforstudents.org. However, science has a different opinion on ghosts. 

According to Sciencenewsforstudents.org not only are ghosts supposed to be able to do things that science says are impossible, scientists using reliable research methods have found zero evidence that ghosts exist. Many ghost hunters use several different scientific equipment such as infrared cameras, EMF (electromagnetic field) detectors, motion sensors, spirit boxes, and sensitive microphones to try and catch EVP’s (electronic voice phenomenon). Despite all of this high tech equipment, there are still no scientifically-verified cases of ghosts detection according to Wonderopolis.org. Furthermore, according to Independent.co.uk scientists have built a particle accelerator that flings particles at one another in hopes of helping scientists better understand the fundamentals of the universe. This project has seen many things, but it has not found a single bit of proof that ghosts exist according to Independent.co.uk. Also, out of the reported hauntings, many have been explained away as house settling noises, folklore/urban legends, a place having high electromagnetic fields caused by some sort of electrical issues, or sleep paralysis, which according to Sciencenewsforstudents.org is a condition that leaves someone feeling awake but paralyzed, and they can’t move or speak. Despite all of this proof, here’s what I think.

Personally, I believe that ghosts exist. Not necessarily in the sense that ghosts are entities that will appear and ruin your life, but rather that there is some form of energy left from when someone dies. Science says that ghosts don’t exist because they defy the laws of physics, but if ghosts are invisible and can pass through solid objects who’s to say that the laws of physics apply to them? Scientists also say that they would have proof of ghosts by now because according to Independent.co.uk ghosts would need to be made up of pure energy. However, Independent.co.uk also states that particle accelerator have discovered possible new particles, and according to Wonderopolis.org many people can’t decide whether a ghost is a mental, spiritual, or physical thing or a mix of these. I think that it’s possible that a ghost could be a combination of mental, spiritual, and physical energy mixed with the unknown particles found by the particle accelerator. I also think that it’s possible that we don’t have the technology for it yet, which is why scientists have no definite proof. 

Growing up, I’ve experienced many things that I can’t necessarily explain especially at my dad’s and my grandparents houses. Not to mention that my uncle is a huge believer in the paranormal, so I would often watch ghost shows with him. Even though I’m older, I still watch those shows. Some of my favorites are Ghost Hunters, Ghost Nation, Kindred Spirits, and Buzzfeed Unsolved. While the last one has more of a comedic take on the paranormal, I do really enjoy these shows. Even if in the end all of this is bogus, I’ll still enjoy these shows because I like learning about the history of some of the places they investigate. 

If you are more of a factual and science person, you probably won’t believe in the paranormal. If you are more outside of the box, you probably believe in all of this. Or maybe you are a science person that believes in the paranormal. As of right now, I don’t think we will ever be able to prove that ghosts are real simply because of the internet with hoaxes and whatnot, but ultimately, it’s whatever you believe.