Abstract
Do you have like horror stories?In a dark place, our hero to see or hear some terrible thing.Horror stories of terror, because people like to feel some strange things in the dark, especially if they start with the fear of emotions.So, what makes us think that there is a weird thing?These terrorists may be hidden behind the scientific explanation.Scientists have discovered that we think is a "ghost" thing, in fact may only be part of our brains in!The normal phenomenon, probably because the brain when facing to fear, trying to explain the way out of the small errors from the surrounding environment.This article explores how our brain to deal with fear, and why we feel unwarranted "ghost".
The world really have a "ghost"?
Imagine a scenario: in a small town, stood a big house is discarded by weeds and trees surrounded by, even in sunny days, the house is always surrounded by dark.The town's people are afraid, where it has been empty being abandoned for many years.Until one day, a high school moved to the place, curiously ask people in the town the abandoned old house.Some people told him that the house first owner has a tragic end, so she often found in the "ghost", they also described the lurking in the "ghost" near - a thin, wearing a white old long pajamas woman, she would scare anyone who visited the house.At first, the night often for boys, and he fell asleep after tossing and turning in the terrible nightmare.Suddenly awakened by a door shutting his, he found he was sweating all over, struggled to see around in the dark, when he clear vision, suddenly see open the closet in the room as if a gaunt old woman is smile toward him.
Is that the old woman's "soul"?The researchers found that the culprit is the humanperceptionError.That is to say, our brains would misjudge information!When people have expected to see "ghosts" or nervous, this kind of perceptual error could have happened.Fear is a powerful emotion, it can change all the information we had seen and heard.
Fear is how to change our what?
When we feel afraid, we will be released around danger signals, in turn, produce negative emotions.For example, you may have this kind of fear, wake up in the middle of the night surrounded by darkness and the shadow, it is a spontaneous reaction.Around when it's hard to perceive the information, we naturally to fear the dark space.These reactions can be traced back to prehistoric times, in the darkness, humans are more likely to be unable to see predators and attacked, fear response to help us on the surrounding environmentalertIn order to protect us from harm.
If fear can make us become more alert on the surrounding environment, so it will make us more clear perception that happen around us, isn't it?Unfortunately, the fact is not imagination of so simple: fear interrupts the brain's thinking process, this can lead to irrational thinking mode, and cause we jump to judge the surrounding environment.When we feel afraid, some important brain areas will become very active, including the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, the hypothalamus and midbrain periaqueductal gray area (seeFigure 1).
- Figure 1 -(A)Prefrontal cortex, is in the front end of a brain area, responsible for give meaning to the event.
- (B)The amygdala, two almond-shaped within the areas of the brain that allows you to remain vigilant.(C)The hypothalamus, the brain in the middle of a small area, control alarm reaction as well as energy and stress levels.(D)The periaqueductal gray area, the brain inside a region, control of our fear response (image:BrainFacts.org).
Why do some people claimed to have seen the "ghost"?
Brain constantly from the world around us receive information, however, not all of the signals are important, the brain will help us to filter out the redundant stimulus, and focus on the important signal.Your brain, for example, at the moment may be filtering "skin feel about clothes" this irrelevant information, to enable you to focus on your present is being read.
Generally speaking, the brain can fairly accurately select the important information and its meaning.However, sometimes the brain should give the information what, and how to give it meaning "mistake".When our brain when you hear or see is not real things will happen.So-called "false model", is a good example, look at a cloud feel it like a face, it's calledparanoia(seeFigure 2).
- Figure 2 - have you ever looked up to see interesting shapes of clouds, such as human or animal?Where there is no see some meaningful pattern, called paranoia.
- People who see the animals in the cloud, see a face in the car, or even see the shape of the toast in the landscape.What can you see in the clouds?
In a recent study, the researchers asked the volunteers about their "whether in the world in ghosts exist" related issues,1], and then show them snowflakes fault figure TV (seeFigure 3).These images, a kind of hidden easy to recognize faces, it is difficult to find a face, a kind of have no face.Those who claim to have "hell" volunteer experience can more quickly identify faces in the image, also, they are also more likely to be in not found in the image of the face of a human face.In other words, an individual's belief to around the world can change the way of looking at things.Many claims to have seen the "ghost" are often in a dark place, where they would think that maybe there will be a terrible thing, actually they just couldn't see, so have to against the brain to imagine to fill the blank of the details, it may make them more likely to see the cause of the "strange things".
- Figure 3 - TV snowflakes screen composed of black and white dot, line, or square.
This also explains why "hear" the voice of ghost.You may have seen ghost hunting programs, some claim recorded the "ghost" the voice, and will play the tape for the audience to listen to, the recordings of the sounds are calledSupernatural phenomenon of electronic noise(hereinafter referred to as EVP).EVP is usually use recording devices to record, then, "ghost" hunting through repeatedly played recordings, trying to find a like made by the "ghost".Although the "ghost" hunting said EVP only when the "ghost" to hear when trying to communicate with humans, but scientists think that EVP is actually caused by static electricity or background noise, this kind of fuzzy voice created a "voices" - as if heard voices in the meaningless noise.For most people, EVP may sound like a bunch of random noise, until the "ghost" hunting their interpretations.Normally, "ghost" hunting to viewers before play the tape again, this sounds like saying "go!", turn and EVP sounded and the interpretation of "ghost" hunting.Humans have to find meaning in fuzzy voice talent, "hunting ghosts" usually listen to the recordings, look forward to hearing some sound, and these are their brains in deceive them completely.EVP is usually made up of not clear voice, when you expect to identify some of the vocabulary in the sound, your brain will open the cheat mode, which is why some of pet owners say they can hear said "I love you", apparently of pet are simply not speak [2].
Why do some people feel there is a "ghost"?
Although some people have never seen a "ghost", but still they will say they feel the existence of the "ghost".As we "see" things that are not there sometimes, and sometimes we don't see in front of things, a phenomenon known asNot pay attention to the blindAlmost everyone will encounter.When we focus on one thing, because there is no expectations and missed the other things around, it is pay attention to the blind.For example, if you are watching your favorite TV program, you may not notice your dog came into the room and shun away from the sofa a plush toys.If you believe the existence of the "ghost", you are likely to doubt is "ghost" took the plush toys [3], not pay attention to the blindness experience even let you dream of the "ghost" will always be with you.
When you feel and what do you think happened don't match, you may also feel there is a "ghost".Recently, a research group in their lab with a robot built the scenario of "haunted by the ghost".Volunteers were blindfolded, require that the arm stretching forward, poke robot with fingertips.When volunteers touch to the robot, they are free to move their fingers.When volunteers that executes, hidden behind them the second robot will copy their actions and touch their back.Perfectly replicate participants when hidden robot moves, volunteers will feel they are hand forward, and the feeling in poking his back;And when the hidden robot moves slightly slower than the participants gesture, participants reported that they feel with another person in touch them on the back, and also adds that it makes them feel in the room there is a kind of invisible strength, not from volunteers themselves - this really is a bit similar, scientists, and robot in the dark room feel existing process [" ghost"4].
"Ghost" may not be as bad as what our brains think, this is just a brain protection the way we achieve security and respond in a timely manner.In the final analysis, however, experienced some scared feeling also don't have fun.Understand the brain's response when facing to fear, in the hope that does not destroy you read a ghost story by creating the atmosphere of terror!
Thank you
Thanks for lifelong development research center, brain and mind nerve centre for scientific research, development, population contribution to Chinese translation in this paper.Thank Zhong Junhan the contribution of Chinese translation of this article;Thank Lu Qiuyu to translate this article guidance and editing;Thank you left in the west, zhang lei's contribution to this article review in Chinese.
The vocabulary
Perception (Perception):writeIndividuals will come from the sense organs of the psychological process of information into meaningful object.
Alert (corvette):writeIn order to avoid the dangerous state of alert, such as test anxiety or afraid to communicate with the doctor.
Paranoia (Pareidolia):writeWhere there is no search for meaning, for example, in the clouds, or "see" face on the fire hydrant.
Supernatural phenomenon of Electronic noise (Electronic Voice Phenomena, EVP):writeElectronic recording of random noise, such as electrostatic, background noise, until someone points out a voice can be heard to speak.
The attention Blindness (Inattentional Blindness):writeReferring to your brain to focus on other things while ignoring the eyes.
Conflict of interest statement
The author statement, the study is in no may be interpreted as potential conflicts of interest under the condition of commercial or financial relationships.
reference
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