Paranormal events are events or experiences that people describe in stories, traditions, and other non-scientific sources. These events are said to be outside the range of what science can explain. Examples of paranormal beliefs include the idea of extrasensory perception, such as telepathy, and fields like ghost hunting, cryptozoology, and ufology, which are not based on scientific methods.

Claims about the paranormal differ from scientific ideas because scientific theories are based on evidence from experiments and observations. People who support paranormal beliefs often rely on personal stories, witness accounts, and feelings rather than scientific proof. Scientists explain that many things people think are paranormal are usually natural events that are misunderstood, misinterpreted, or unusual variations of known phenomena.

Etymology

The word "paranormal" has been used in the English language since at least 1920. It is made up of two parts: "para" and "normal." The term means that the usual scientific explanations of the world are considered normal, and anything that is beyond or different from those explanations is called "para."

Paranormal subjects

Psychologist Terence Hines, in his book Pseudoscience and the Paranormal (2003), explained that ghost hunting involves investigating places said to be haunted by ghosts. A ghost-hunting team usually tries to find proof that paranormal activity exists.

In traditional stories and fictional works, a ghost is described as the visible form of a person’s spirit or soul. Other beliefs include the idea that animals that have died might also become ghosts. Sometimes, the word "ghost" is used to describe any spirit or demon, but most people today use it to refer to the spirit of a dead person.

The belief that ghosts are the souls of the dead is connected to animism, an old idea that people once thought all things in nature had souls. In the 19th century, anthropologist George Frazer wrote in The Golden Bough (1890) that souls were seen as the "spirit inside" a person that gave life to the body. In some ancient cultures, souls were shown as birds or other animals, but many believed the soul looked exactly like the person, including their clothing. This idea is shown in artwork, such as the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead (around 1550 BCE), which depicts people in the afterlife wearing the same clothes they wore in life.

The possibility of life beyond Earth is not a paranormal topic. Scientists are studying for signs of simple life on Mars and in meteorites that landed on Earth. Projects like SETI search for radio signals that might show intelligent life outside our solar system. Scientific theories about how life began on Earth suggest that life could also exist on other planets. However, the paranormal side of extraterrestrial life often involves beliefs about unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and the strange events linked to them.

In the early history of UFO studies, people divided into two groups. One group believed UFOs were unexplained events that deserved serious research. These people began calling themselves "ufologists" in the 1950s and thought studying UFO sightings could prove aliens visited Earth.

The other group connected UFOs to ideas from spiritual or mystical traditions. Many of these people were interested in occultism or the paranormal and had backgrounds in groups like Theosophists or spiritualists. Today, some of these beliefs are part of New Age spiritual movements.

People who believe in UFOs, whether secular or spiritual, often say UFOs have powers that go against known rules about flight and physics. Many UFO events are short-lived, making it hard to test them using the scientific method. Scientists are also cautious because many UFO reports may be hoaxes.

Cryptozoology is a type of pseudoscience and a subculture that tries to prove the existence of creatures from folklore, such as Bigfoot, the chupacabra, or Mokele-mbembe. People who study these creatures call them "cryptids," a term created by the cryptozoology community.

Paranormal research

Studying the paranormal is challenging because most claims lack clear physical evidence. By definition, the paranormal (or supernatural) does not follow normal rules of nature. This means that if a phenomenon could be proven using science, it would no longer be considered paranormal. Despite this, researchers from different fields sometimes study paranormal topics. Some focus on people's beliefs about the paranormal, even if the events themselves are not proven to exist. This section explains different ways to study the paranormal, including anecdotal, experimental, and participant-observer methods, as well as skeptical investigations.

An anecdotal approach involves collecting stories about paranormal events. Charles Fort (1874–1932) is best known for gathering these stories. He collected thousands of reports from newspapers, magazines, and scientific journals. These included events like teleportation, poltergeists, unusual animal movements, crop circles, and unexplained lights. He also recorded reports of "OOPArts," or objects found in strange places. Fort was one of the first to suggest that strange human disappearances might be linked to alien abductions. He is often called the father of modern paranormal studies. The magazine Fortean Times continues his work by sharing paranormal stories.

Anecdotal evidence is not scientific because it depends on the credibility of the person sharing the story. Without evidence that can be repeated or tested, it is hard to prove paranormal claims using science.

Parapsychologists, scientists who study paranormal claims, have tested ideas like extrasensory perception using experiments, such as guessing cards or rolling dice. However, these experiments had flaws, and results were not reliable. In 1957, the Parapsychological Association was formed. Later, it joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Critics formed groups like the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (now called the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) to question paranormal claims. Over time, many scientists stopped supporting parapsychology because it could not provide clear evidence. Today, parapsychology is often seen as pseudoscience.

By the 2000s, paranormal research in the United States had declined from its popularity in the 1970s. Most research was funded by private groups, and few studies were done in universities. In 2007, Britain had some private paranormal labs in university psychology departments. Research results have not been widely accepted by scientists.

While parapsychologists use labs to find measurable evidence, many people study the paranormal through participant-observer methods. This involves researchers immersing themselves in paranormal experiences to understand them. This method overlaps with qualitative research, which focuses on describing experiences rather than explaining them. Critics say participant observation can harm scientific objectivity, lead to unorganized data, and rely on subjective measurements. For example, measuring electromagnetic fields at haunted sites has its own issues.

Participant-observer methods have become popular through reality TV shows like Ghost Hunters and independent ghost hunting groups. A website lists over 300 such groups in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Skeptical scientific investigation

Scientific skeptics support careful study of claims about paranormal events. They use the scientific method to find logical, scientific explanations for these claims, considering that some reported paranormal abilities or events may be tricks or misunderstandings of natural events. A simple way to describe this approach is by using Occam's razor, which suggests that the simplest explanation is often the correct one. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), previously known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is an organization that promotes the scientific, skeptical method. It investigates paranormal reports using science and shares its findings in the Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

CSI's Richard Wiseman highlights possible non-paranormal reasons for experiences people describe as paranormal in his article, The Haunted Brain. He notes that about 15% of people believe they have encountered a ghost, but only 1% report seeing a full ghost. Most people describe strange sights, like brief shadows or smoke, or feelings, like hearing footsteps or sensing someone nearby. Wiseman argues that these experiences may result from activity within the brain, not paranormal events.

Michael Persinger suggested that ghost-like feelings could be caused by weak magnetic fields stimulating the brain. Swedish psychologist Pehr Granqvist and his team tested this idea and found that the experiences were likely due to suggestions, not brain stimulation. Oxford University's Justin Barrett theorized that the brain's strong focus on understanding human behavior may lead people to see ghost-like activity in ordinary situations.

James Randi, an investigator with a background in illusions, believed that many paranormal claims are often tricks. He demonstrated that psychic Uri Geller's spoon-bending ability could be easily replicated by stage magicians. Randi also created the James Randi Educational Foundation, which offered a $1,000,000 prize to anyone who could prove paranormal, supernatural, or occult powers under controlled conditions. No one has ever claimed the prize.

In "anomalistic psychology," paranormal events are explained by natural causes, such as psychological or physical factors, which can make people think they are seeing something paranormal when there is nothing. Psychologist David Marks wrote that paranormal experiences can be explained by thinking patterns like magical thinking, mental images, coincidence, hidden causes, or fraud. Studies show that some people believe in the paranormal because of traits that make them more likely to misinterpret normal events as supernatural. Research also found that thinking errors, or cognitive biases, play a role in paranormal beliefs.

Many studies found a connection between personality traits and paranormal belief. Some research showed that people who enjoy fantasy are more likely to believe in the paranormal.

Bainbridge (1978) and Wuthnow (1976) found that people with less education, who are unemployed, or who hold low-status jobs are more likely to believe in the paranormal. These individuals may feel disconnected from society, leading them to turn to paranormal or magical beliefs.

Research has linked paranormal belief to lower intelligence, less science education, and lower cognitive ability. People with higher education and better grades tend to believe less in the paranormal. Tobacyk (1984) and Messer and Griggs (1989) found that college students with higher grades have less paranormal belief.

In a study (Gow, 2004) with 167 participants, those who believed in the paranormal showed higher levels of psychological absorption and dissociation. Another study with 100 students found a link between paranormal belief and a tendency to dissociate. A study (Williams et al., 2007) found that "neuroticism" is closely tied to paranormal belief, while belief in the paranormal is not related to being outgoing or having traits linked to mental health issues. Research also found a connection between paranormal belief and irrational thinking.

An experiment by Wierzbicki (1985) found that people who believe in the paranormal made more mistakes on a logic test, suggesting lower cognitive ability. A study using the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale found a link between narcissistic personality traits and paranormal belief.

De Boer and Bierman wrote:

A study with 174 members of the Society for Psychical Research found that people who strongly believe in the paranormal made more reasoning errors and showed more signs of delusional thinking than skeptical individuals. This reasoning bias was only seen in people who believed in the paranormal, not those who had personal experiences with it. The results suggest that thinking errors may cause paranormal beliefs.

Research has shown that people who claim to have contact with aliens often have traits like high absorption, dissociation, fantasy imagination, and a tendency to hallucinate.

Studies have found that paranormal belief can help people cope with stress. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, violent homes, or unstable environments often report higher levels of paranormal belief. A study of 502 adults found that paranormal experiences are common and linked to childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms. Research also suggests that people who feel they have little control over their lives may believe in the paranormal to gain a sense of control. Similarities between paranormal events and trauma descriptions have also been noted.

Surveys on paranormal belief show that women, on average, report higher belief than men. Men, however, tend to believe more in UFOs and extraterrestrials. Surveys also explored the relationship between ethnicity and paranormal belief. In a study of American university students (Tobacyk et al., 1988), people of African descent showed stronger belief in superstitions and witchcraft, while people of European descent believed more in extraterrestrial life. Otis and Kuo (1984) found differences in paranormal beliefs among Chinese, Indian, and Malay students in Singapore, with Chinese students showing more skepticism.

According to surveys analyzed by Bader et al. (2011), African Americans have the strongest belief in the paranormal. While results vary, the general trend shows that white people tend to believe less in most paranormal topics. Surveys indicate that about 50% of U.S. adults believe in some paranormal phenomenon.

Belief polls

The existence of paranormal events is a topic that many people argue about. Surveys help researchers understand what people believe about these events. These beliefs are not scientific proof, but they can show what some people think. It is estimated that 3 to 4 billion people worldwide believe in paranormal abilities.

In 2006, researchers from Monash University in Australia asked people around the world about paranormal experiences they had and how these experiences affected their lives. The survey was online and included over 2,000 participants. Results showed that about 70% of those surveyed believed they had experienced a paranormal event that changed their lives, mostly in a positive way. Around 70% said they had seen, heard, or felt something from an animal or person that was not there. About 80% reported having a premonition, and nearly 50% said they remembered a past life.

In 2006, Bryan Farha from Oklahoma City University and Gary Steward from the University of Central Oklahoma conducted surveys that showed results similar to a Gallup poll from 2001.

A survey by Jeffrey S. Levin, an associate professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, found that more than two-thirds of people in the United States said they had at least one mystical experience. A 1996 Gallup poll found that 71% of U.S. people believed the government was hiding information about UFOs. A 2002 Roper poll for the Sci Fi channel reported that 56% of people thought UFOs were real, and 48% believed aliens had visited Earth.

A 2001 National Science Foundation survey found that 9% of people thought astrology was very scientific, and 31% thought it was somewhat scientific. About 32% of Americans said some numbers were lucky, and 46% of Europeans agreed. Around 60% of all people surveyed believed in some form of extra-sensory perception, and 30% thought some UFOs were real spacecraft from other civilizations.

In 2017, the Chapman University Survey of American Fears asked about seven paranormal beliefs. The most common belief was that ancient advanced civilizations like Atlantis existed (55%). Next was the belief that places can be haunted by spirits (52%). Other beliefs included aliens visiting Earth in ancient times (35%), aliens arriving in modern times (26%), some people moving objects with their minds (25%), fortune tellers predicting the future (19%), and Bigfoot being real (19%). About one-fourth of those surveyed did not believe in any of these ideas.

Paranormal challenges

In 1922, Scientific American offered two prizes totaling $5,000: (1) for the first real picture of a spirit taken under controlled tests, and (2) for the first psychic to create a visible effect that could be seen by others. Harry Houdini was part of the group that reviewed the claims. The first person tested was George Valiantine, who said spirits would speak through a trumpet that floated in a dark room. During the test, Valiantine was placed in a room, and the lights were turned off. Without him knowing, his chair was set up to turn on a light in another room if he left his seat. The lights were activated during his performance, so Valiantine did not win the prize. The last person tested by Scientific American was Mina Crandon in 1924.

Since then, many people and groups have offered similar prizes for proof of paranormal events in observed settings. These prizes have a total value of more than $2.4 million.

The James Randi Educational Foundation offered a $1 million prize to someone who could prove they had supernatural or paranormal abilities under proper test conditions. Other skeptic groups also offer money for proof of the paranormal, including the Independent Investigations Group (IIG), which has chapters in Hollywood, Atlanta, Denver, Washington, D.C., Alberta, B.C., and San Francisco. The IIG gives $100,000 and a $5,000 reward if someone can prove a paranormal claim under two scientifically controlled tests. Founded in 2000, no one has passed the first test so far.