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Those of us who believe in ghosts and things that go bump in the night are no doubt used to being dismissed as gullible or naive.
But here’s something to raise your spirits – a study suggests that people who think the paranormal is real simply have a ‘different’ style of thinking.
Researchers say those who believe in spooks and the supernatural trust in their instincts, while the sceptical are more analytical.
Researchers say those who believe in spooks and the supernatural trust in their instincts, while the sceptical are more analytical
A team looked at 71 studies conducted over 40 years into people who believe in hauntings, clairvoyance and psychokinesis – moving objects by thought alone
It means that, when faced with unexplained phenomena, they are more likely to go with their gut feelings than apply abstract reasoning to what they have seen.
A team looked at 71 studies conducted over 40 years into people who believe in hauntings, clairvoyance and psychokinesis – moving objects by thought alone.
The majority were dismissive of believers as ‘uncritical and foolish’. But by applying modern-day understanding of psychology to the findings of the studies, the researchers were able to establish that the actual evidence was not as straightforwardly conclusive.
It did not reveal shortcomings in intelligence, but instead reflected the various ways people think.
The study authors found ‘two in three studies document that paranormal beliefs are associated with poorer cognitive performance’.
However, the team said that ‘no specific profile of cognitive functioning
