This is the answer to why some people are convinced that they have seen ghosts.
Science is a series of contradictions. We have studies that prove ghosts are not real, but simultaneously, other studies believe that human souls do exist. Subsequent generations of scientists must find ways to resolve these contradictions through new research, and thus the cycle continues.
Those who believe cannot prove that ghosts are real, while skeptics cannot definitively prove the opposite. Ultimately, the existence of ghosts remains one of the most debated topics in our society.
But did you know that the explanation for some mysterious ghost stories may lie in a type of sound that humans cannot hear but can still perceive? This is “infrasound.”
Infrasound refers to sounds with frequencies ranging from 7 to 19 Hz that the human ear cannot detect, yet we can still feel their presence.
It All Starts with a Creepy Sound That No One Knows About
The human hearing range encompasses sounds with frequencies from 16 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Sounds with frequencies above this range are known as ultrasound, while those below are referred to as infrasound. In the case of infrasound, science has identified it as the primary cause of many bizarre and eerie phenomena throughout history.
In the late 1950s, French scientist Vladimir Gavreau accidentally discovered that his assistant, who was working in his laboratory, was experiencing ear bleeding.
He began investigating this strange phenomenon by holding vibrating tubes close to his assistants. Gavreau found that with a properly sized vibrating tube, people would experience a slight sting in their ears or even intense pain. The primary culprit was infrasound.
Many people swear they have seen “ghosts”.
In another experiment, scientists secretly mixed infrasound with the music during a concert. As a result, 22% of the audience reported experiencing feelings of fear, sadness, and chills, even though the melodies played were considered harmonious, gentle, and beautiful.
Moreover, this type of sound originates from nature: volcanoes, earthquakes, ocean waves, winds… and even animals. The growl of a tiger has a frequency of 18 Hz – which falls within the infrasound range.
Sound That Makes Us See “Ghosts”
At a building where Vic Tandy, a British researcher, worked, the cleaning staff and his colleagues often felt fear, sadness, and the sensation of being watched; some even claimed to see shadowy figures.
Tandy himself experienced this after seeing a gray shape standing next to his desk, prompting him to seek an explanation for the existence of these “ghostly apparitions.”
After ruling out causes like gas leaks or faulty equipment, he realized that “ghosts” only appeared in specific areas of the laboratory, and when he placed a piece of metal on a clamp, it would start vibrating intensely. Was it the “ghosts”? No, it was infrasound.
An old fan, now “retired,” emitted low-frequency vibrations.
Specifically, an old fan in the laboratory was emitting low-frequency vibrations. These vibrations reverberated throughout the room, creating infrasound at a frequency of 18.9 Hz, sufficient to induce feelings of fear in people.
According to NASA research, these infrasound waves may have resonated with the human eyeball, causing blurred and distorted images. When the eyes vibrate in this way, the brain might interpret static images, like the frame of glasses or a speck of dust, as if they are moving, resembling a ghost swaying in the air.
Furthermore, Professor Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire stated that locations believed to be haunted often have structures or conditions conducive to the presence of infrasound, resulting in “ghostly” illusions.
And as you might guess, after Tandy removed that fan, the “ghosts” in the building mysteriously vanished. Not only that, but Tandy also helped “exorcise” a monastery afterward. This monastery had a basement that made people feel nauseous, cold, and haunted whenever they entered.
When Vic arrived at the site, he quickly identified the basement’s layout, the corridor leading to it, and adjacent machinery that contributed to the presence of an 18.9 Hz infrasound.
The Potential to Use “Ghosts” as a Weapon – Is It Possible?
Many believe that this type of sound can be weaponized in warfare, or at least to disperse crowds. In reality, humans have attempted this but failed spectacularly.
While the British successfully employed infrasound to disperse crowds, the Americans failed in using it during warfare.
They used helicopters to emit a barrage of low-frequency sounds intending to cause panic among troops below or at least induce discomfort.
However, in this case, infrasound only made the soldiers feel slightly scared and even stimulated a sense of… joy within them.
The issue here is that each person reacts to this sound in different ways. To artificially create infrasound and elicit noticeable feelings, you would need a tool that is sufficiently large and powerful.
Nonetheless, infrasound appears to be very useful in… haunted houses, as long as the sound waves are strong enough.
