We know that eye witness testimony can be notoriously unreliable for a whole host of reasons. Even though they may be a hundred % sincere, how we know that they're actually a hundred% accurate? So in the case of seeing a ghost, or even a crime for that matter. If you can't test the experience, the thing that's actually happened, how do you research this? How do you go about testing the alternative explanations of what somebodi's remembered and why they've remembered that, for example?
While telling ghost stories has always been a favourite pastime for many, during the pandemic signs of paranormal activity have reportedly been on the rise. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof Chris French about why more of us may have been having eerie experiences, how to explain these phenomena scientifically, and why – even among nonbelievers – ghost stories are still as popular as ever. Help support our independent journalism at
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