Do You Believe In Ghosts? Here's What Spirituality Experts Have To Say About Them

The idea that ghosts could be among us has fascinated, perplexed, and of course, spooked people for generations. We asked around to get the history of ghosts, whether there's any evidence they actually exist, and more—here's what to know.

Feng shui expert Anjie Cho adds, "From a feng shui perspective, we have this perspective of nonduality, so something is not necessarily good or bad."

The felt presence of a lingering energy has been recorded everywhere from the U.S. to Ghana to China, Thailand, and more. (It's worth noting here that we're talking about people reporting ghostly experiences, not actual evidence of such.)

As aforementioned, some cultures embrace the idea of ghosts, particularly if there is a connection with ancestors within the culture, as seen in Chinese and other Asian cultures. Cho tells mbg many believe ghosts to be the energy of ancestors, or even predecessors of the space in question.

Though many believe ghosts are inherently bad, for the people who believe their loved ones might be showing up in a ghostly way, it can bring comfort and connection.

Of course, if someone has had an inexplicable paranormal experience, they may believe in ghosts even if logic tells them not to. Some experiences just can't be explained, and for better or worse, will forever change the way people think about ghosts and the afterlife.

And lastly, some people are simply more open to the idea that there are other realms, or forces we can't explain in general, making them more likely to be open to the idea of ghosts.

Whether they identify as an atheist, don't believe in the afterlife, or don't believe in the idea of a soul, some people are not open to mystical ideas. To believe in ghosts is to believe that a spirit, soul, entity, etc., can exist without a physical body in some unseen realm, and for nonbelievers, that just doesn't sound possible.

Just as feeling or seeing a ghost can make someone a believer, never experiencing anything paranormal isn't going to help convince a skeptic that ghosts could be real. "It's often dismissed in some cultures as imagination," Levinger adds.

Along similar lines to the points above, tangible proof of ghosts is ultimately lacking. For people who aren't necessarily open to ideas that can't be explained by science, the burden of proof is subsequently too heavy for them to believe in ghosts.

Ultimately, though, the experts in the fields of mysticism, the occult, and the paranormal are (more than likely) going to believe, or at least be open to, the idea of ghosts. Those who are more concerned with the physical realm, and prefer to base belief on science (as well as proof), are going to have a hard time warming up to the idea—unless, of course, they were to experience something ghostly themselves.

No one can say for sure whether ghosts are real, but those who claim to have experienced them will stand by that belief. While science hasn't been able to pin down any concrete proof of the existence of ghosts, their reported presence has been recorded for years upon years and will likely continue to be reported for years to come.