Do you believe in Ghosts?

Do you believe in Ghosts? A Gallup poll found that only 7% of Americans DO NOT believe in ghosts, deja vu, telepathy, past lives and other such supernatural phenomena, which experts believe may have a lot to do with the growing popularity of Hallowe'en. I just read a fascinating article from Sharon Begley about our belief in the supernatural. (Supernatural encompassing anything that cannot be explained by the laws of physics or biology.) And I'll be the first to admit, that I do believe in some supernatural things....and honestly that makes life so much more fun don't you think?

The article states that "scientists now realize that belief in the supernatural arises from the same mental processes that govern our everyday reasoning and perception. And chief among those processes is our neuron's habit of filling in the blanks for us." We don't have to see all of something, in order for the neuron's in our brain to fire and complete the picture or data for us.

The mind also has the ability to see patterns in random data which is why we see the 'Big Dipper' in the night sky instead of just a random grouping of stars. Likewise, if we consistently see a number pop up in our lives, or a spot on a cow's back that looks like Jesus....we believe it to be 'Divine' rather than merely random and coincidental.

This also includes our belief in the use of talismans or rituals such as carrying a lucky stone or wearing the same shirt to every game. Research shows that if we go against our superstitious belief, we become so tense and stressed at not having it, that we do indeed lose the game. Thus, it becomes natural for our minds to attribute the things that go bump in the night, to some spirit or force, rather than branches brushing against the window pane.

Also of interest in the article, is the belief that our minds are not bound to our bodies. "This belief called 'Dualism,' is universal and seen in children as young as 2. Thus entities without physical bodies are in deed plausible to the rational human mind. And we also tend to operate out of 'Confirmatory Bias'. "This is our mind's tendency to remember when synchronistic events happen, (like thinking of someone and then they call)....while likewise tending to forget all the times it didn't happen. "And as scientists have probed deeper into the brain to determine what fuels superstition, they have uncovered a surprising suspect.....Dopamine, which usually fuels the brain's sense of reward!"

They hosted an experiment with 'Believers' and 'Skeptics' where they were shown random images of 'faces and scrambled faces,' as well as 'words and non words'....with the goal being to pick out the 'REAL' faces. So who do you think did better picking out the real from the non-real? Common logic would lead us to believe that 'Skeptics' would get more right because they are not prone to the irrational 'flights of fancy' that us 'Believers' are.

But the opposite was true. The 'Skeptics' tended to discount more real faces as not real, and more real words as not real. This leads me to think that their skepticism actually works against them, perhaps even clouding their judgment, which I find rather amusing. Of course on the flip side, the 'Believers' happily saw real faces and words, even in the scrambled gibberish....ha, go figure!

However, after administering the 'Skeptics' with the dopamine increasing drug L-dopa....they began to ID more 'real' faces and words as real also, which suggests that dopamine inclines the brain to see patterns even in random noise." Does that mean that we 'Believers' just naturally have more dopamine in our brains than do the 'Skeptics'? And doesn't that mean then, that what we BELIEVE becomes REAL for us?

So in essence, the mind is a rather powerful entity all on its own. And if I understand all that I read properly...it would seem to me, to lend a little anecdotal proof to the theory that we create our own reality through our thoughts, and can manifest our own desires. That makes sense to me, as I've always believed in the power of thought and intention. What we put our mind to expands. If this is true, then we each yield a tremendous amount of personal power to affect and shape our lives. What do you think? Do you believe in Ghosts? :o)