Can Science Prove Whether Ghosts Are Real or Not?

Let’s talk about ghosts… and not just because we’re bringing Seeker+ back from the dead. So are ghosts real? I mean a lot of people claim to have seen them, but there’s a lot of proof that these scary appearances are more likely to be tricks being played by the brain.

Watch the other episodes in this series:
Part 2 - This Is What Science Has To Say About The Soul

Part 3 - Is Believing In Ghosts Good For You?

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Read more here:

Suggestion, belief in the paranormal, proneness to reality testing deficits and perception of an allegedly haunted building
“The present study investigated whether suggestion, level of belief in the paranormal, and proneness to reality testing deficits influenced participants’ expectation of haunt-related phenomena.”

Sensory dynamics of visual hallucinations in the normal population
“Hallucinations can occur in both healthy and unwell people. Drugs, sleep deprivation, loss of vision, and migraines can all trigger visual hallucinations in people with no psychiatric illness. We have known for more than 200 years that flickering light can induce hallucinations in almost anyone.”

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Seeker+ is your home for deep dives, fun facts, rabbit holes, and more. Join host Julian Huguet as he unapologetically nerds out on the oddball history, astounding science and intriguing future around topics that will make you the smartest person at your next trivia night.
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Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.

[barbatloosenutproductions]

There is always strange things happening in our house, "things going bump in the middle of the night"! Small stuff being moved around. Paranormal activity? Nope. More like pair-of-cats activity! 😺😺 All cat owners can relate to that! 🤣

[spzi_]

back when I completely 100% did not believe in ghosts I've had an experience that completely changed my understanding, not only did my entire family witness it as non believers, it was _physical_ and kept happening on the weekly, cabinets opening completely and closing, doors locking themselves, empty mugs exploding for no reason, loud boot footsteps at night that we thought were pipes but later realised there were no pipes there, and me being pushed to the ground with immense strength by what felt like two arms, when I was alone in the house... I'm a very scientific person so I'm very curious what people would make of this information.

[mollysimmons]

Yes, spirits known as ghosts are with us. Sometimes they can be seen or make objects appear or disappear. Outside or indoors.
I’ve been around for over 70 years & I have had maybe 4 sightings.
I do believe that many “sightings” could be things other than spirits.
This reminds me of the old idea that animals don’t have “feelings” because it hadn’t been proven by scientists.

[YongJoonPaek]

Baking a cake with Celine Dion... weirdly specific but ok

[McPilch]

NDE's, DMT, psychedelics.. a series on that would be great, especially given there has been a resurgence in the studying of psychedelics from a medical perspective.

[chadatchison]

I've seen what most people would consider a ghost and shadow people but at no time did I feel that they were ghosts, I was certain that it was a product of my brain especially since I was either waking up, falling asleep, and one time I was inebriated.

[narendraaditya]

Adding those low frequency sounds waves while talking about them.... Genius move

[ursaltydog]

old dilapidated houses or institutions don't have running gas any more, if they ever had them.. and often lack even electricity due to their condition. It's illegal to run electricity when permits have expired or structures are vacant, condemned or abandoned by the property owners, so they don't have to pay the utility bills.

[boosted.]

I’ve had tons of sleep paralysis but there’s 3 things that happened to me that I just can’t explain or wrap my brain around and are the reasons I believe the paranormal is real

[Lonking]

It's like pointing out shapes in clouds, some people's minds will always try to rationalize what it sees

[RaheemD]

People keep talking about carbon monoxide and fans and whatever else, but my mum was woken up by a spirit in the night that basically demanded she call up her dad to tell him his friend (the spirit that spoke to her) had passed and he's OK. She relayed the message in the night and in the morning her dad called back to say it's confirmed that his friend had died that same night, I'll forever be open minded! I don't see how that could be carbon monoxide. I was young, but I remember my mum looked absolutely petrified that morning.

[AquilaCat]

I've seen and experienced things before that these scientific explanations don't account for, BUT I wonder if the sound waves might be a good explanation for the times I've faintly heard what sounds like a tv station on or a song playing in other places of my home, only to find nothing being on and complete silence when I investigate. I have always thought it odd when that happens and assumed it was a trick of my ears so the sound waves messing with my brain would certainly make sense.

[tallpaulhutchensjr.]

Wayyyy back when I was oh about 16yrs old, my dad was seeing his dad in the house we lived in but I didn't know he was seeing it. A few days later I mentioned it to mom and dad that I was seeing grandpa in the house but always out the corner of my eye and always in same place. I chalked it up to lights messing with me lol. But when I was 18yrs old me and my buddy was in the backyard at midnight or 1130ish, we heard the chainlink fence rattling. We both looked back and saw a boy like 12yrs old wearing like a white robe with a huge hat ducking under a pool deck while walking. Within about 2 seconds me and my buddy looked at each other then looked back and it was gone. There was nowhere a real person could've hid. We both took off running and was months before we mentioned it to each other lol. We both saw the same exact same. It looked as real as me and you but had the slightest very slight glow to it. Iv never seen anything like that since and 43yrs old now. I will never forget it. I have no clue why it'd be a kid in that kinda outfit in east Tennessee but it 150% was there. We watched it for like 15 seconds. That's a long time actually lol

[UniqueDestinations_Music]

This was a great podcast! Didn't know such supernatural experiences can be linked to gas. Always check your pipe people ;)

[ocdgamer]

In my tv reflection I could see my kitchen and I saw 2 girls in the reflection just talking to each other. When I would turn around I couldn't see them. When I turn back to the tv I could see them standing there talking again. This lasted for 5 minutes or so. I finally got so scared I went to get my Bible and prayed they went away. I looked back and they were gone. I never even believed in ghost, but that's my 1 time experience. It's never happened again. Btw my girlfriend at the time was here with me and saw the same thing. I just asked her what she saw when looking at the tv. Which was not turned on. She said 2 girls. She described it exactly the same. We couldn't hear the ghosts talking to each other but we could clearly see them

[unplannedsyntax]

You're right: I'm more afraid of my brain than of ghosts. When a broken music box that had no batteries in it started to play music in the garbage can at 3:00 AM I found a probable scientific explanation. (And that was after, some time after that, on another dark night, an old, broken batteryless alarm clock decided to go off at 3:00 AM too!)

[Bs]

So happy Seeker+ is back! Julian is a great host to take the reins after Trace.
Sorry I'm a few days late in watching.

[Leshenn]

I cannot express how happy I am that this channel is back

[gtmerkley]

I have spent years trying to prove that ghosts do not exist.That believing in ghosts is BS . I have not proven it yet, There is no way to prove there is not.But I have Debunked 75% the 25 % I haven’t been able to debunk I have no doubt that with time I will. Today is just not that day.

[yrasphong]

When my brother and I were in our teens maybe 15 we both seen a ghost in our parents home..it was like a fog like cloud that was in the shape of a woman with a long dress floating up stairways..my brother and I have never been so scared..we asked each other if we saw it and we both said yea...I'll never forget it..that was the only sighting I had but my brother said he seen demons at night in that house he said they had red dark red eyes with black moving shadows..when we first moved in my Lil cuzn said she seen an old white lady ask why we were in the house and my cuzn said we moved in..my cuzn turned around and the person disappeared and that was right next to the stairs my brother and I seen the floating white ghost we are Buddhist and had a monk bless the house and never seen anything after that