We’ve all seen the countless reality tv shows, life Ghost Hunters, or The Dead Files, that supposedly prove that ghosts exist. It may be surprising to some to learn that ghosts are not real.. This could be easily one of the most debated topics between people on whether ghosts do or do not exist. It seems that every time someone shows evidence of paranormal activity, someone -who doesn't want to admit to the existence of ghosts- has an excuse or explanation to the bizarre action.  A 2013 HuffPost poll shows that 37% of Americans believe in haunted houses and 45% believe in ghosts. But what these people believe in  isn't true, scientists have proof for all the reasons behind these abnormal experiences.
There’s a lot of people who choose to believe that what they see in these common shows like Ghost Hunters is real. That they are not being fooled by the editors of producers, but the truth is that they are. A member of the Ghost Hunters team admits to never even seeing a ghost. “What you would think of as the floating apparition, I’ve never seen that. I’ve seen a lot of things I can’t explain - objects moving, things falling that doesn’t make sense, smells, black masses, that sort of thing - but I’ve never seen an actual ghost.” (Steve Gonsalves, Member of the TAPS team). One of the most common tools used by any ghost hunter is an infrared thermometer. These detect surface temperatures. If you can see the surface, the thermometer can determine its temperature. Infrared thermometers can only detect temperature of visible surfaces. So ghost hunters using them to detect ‘cold spots’ or ‘paranormal activity’ isn't going to work. “In fact, an IR thermometer is even less likely than your vision to see a hazy apparition.” (Brian Dunning, 2008)
According to livescience, the reason so many people have trouble determining the existence of ghosts is because the term ‘ghost’ is loosely defined. Some of the most common terms for a ghost are poltergeists, hauntings, spirits, or shadows. “there are as many types of ghosts as you want there to be.”(Benjamin Radford, Live Science Contributor, 2014). Also another contradictory to ghosts is whether they are material or not. Do they pass through walls without disrupting the real world or can they control aspects of people's lives like turning of the lights or closing a door.
Another popular idea that people generate when trying to debate the existence of ghosts is, the commonly used contact to spirits, A Ouija board. People will place their hands on a wooden chip, that would move around to letters on the board to answer questions the people playing would ask, supposedly the spirit is in control of the chip. Listverse  proved the scientifc reason behind this game. The game piece is moving thanks to the ideomotor effect. This is where our muscles move subconsciously due to the power or suggestion. If your brain believes that the chip is going to move it will. “A similar event took place in 1853 when four doctors held an experimental séance. When they secretly told half the participants the table would move to the right and half it would move left, the table didn’t budge. But when they told everyone it would move in one direction, the ideomotor effect struck again!” (Nolan Moore, 2013)
Another common experience linked to ghosts is a rush of cool air, or known as a draft. Even when there are no open windows or access to moving air you can still feel cold spots in a room. Scientists have proven that every object in a room has its own temperature, some surfaces may be hotter than others so in a process called convection they attempt to equalize the temperature in the room. As the hot air rises and the cool air drops the moving air can create a sense of coolness or a cold spot in the room temporarily.
So next time you feel a draft in your house, decide the play with the Ouija board with your friends, or catch yourself watching Ghost Hunters again remember its just the power of science and technology.