Ghostbusters: When Science Meets The Supernatural
Reader's Digest India|October 2022
While some dismiss it completely out of hand, others believe inexplicably in the spirit world. We ask the experts to weigh in
 Helen Foster
Ghostbusters: When Science Meets The Supernatural

Belief in the supernatural and questions about whether ghosts are real have intrigued humanity forever. But are the spirits that may walk among us actually the souls of the departed, or the result of more downto-earth phenomena? While science and spirits might not seem to go hand in hand, you'll be surprised how many evidence-based explanations for spooky sightings there are. We ask some ghostbusters in white coats for alternative ideas about why things might go bump in the night.

THE SLEEP EXPERT

Sleep paralysis is a condition where you wake at night unable to move. It affects around 20 per cent of people at some point and sleep specialist Dr Baland Jalal from Harvard University in the US feels it could explain some ghost sightings. "The stage of sleep called REM sleep is when we have our most vivid dreams and, to protect us from acting these out, we go into a state of paralysis," he says. "If you wake up at this point you can see and hear, but your body can't move. And, our research has found that about 40 per cent of people start to see things when this happens."

The sightings are the brain trying to make sense of this. It's telling your arms and legs to move and expecting feedback from them as to where they are 'in space! When it doesn't get that feedback, cells in the brain called mirror neurons start to draw a picture of what should be happening. "And in its confusion we can visualize this image as something in front of us," says Dr Jalal. "Some people experience this as an out-of-body experience, where they look down upon themselves in bed, others impose another explanation-you're seeing a ghost."

The good news is you can treat sleep paralysis with a four-step method Dr Jalal has created: the first step of which is just closing your eyes so the mirror neurons can't create their picture. Without this the 'ghost' can't appear.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST INDIAView all
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Reader's Digest India

From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi

Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Who Wants Coffee?
Reader's Digest India

Who Wants Coffee?

It’s bitter—but beloved around the world

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
Reader's Digest India

Prevent The Pain Of Shingles

You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Reader's Digest India

The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart

Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ME & MY SHELF
Reader's Digest India

ME & MY SHELF

Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
SWITCHED
Reader's Digest India

SWITCHED

In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
ECHOES OF THE PAST
Reader's Digest India

ECHOES OF THE PAST

A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
Fathers of the Bride
Reader's Digest India

Fathers of the Bride

A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
Fiction's Foresight
Reader's Digest India

Fiction's Foresight

British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
Reader's Digest India

It Happens ONLY IN INDIA

The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024