Electromagnetic field detectors are
commonly used by engineers to measure frequency strength but are also used by
ghost hunters. EMF detectors detect electromagnetic fields which can be
produced from many devices ranging from a smart phone to a wireless network
router. EMF detectors determine the strength of electromagnetic fields and it
is said that paranormal activity causes electromagnetic fields. Ghost hunters
look for spikes in the readings on their EMF detectors and if they locate a
spike they attempt to move closer to the source of the electromagnetic field by
paying close attention to the strength reading on the EMF detector. A spike
signifies a sudden change in electric current which causes many to believe a
ghost is present as they supposedly possess a strong electric charge. Professor
Johnjoe McFadden from the University of Surrey, proposes that “the conscious
mind consists of an electromagnetic field which does not disappear even after
death” which could explain why ghost hunters look for electromagnetic
fields. However, concrete evidence as to
the correlation between electromagnetic fields and ghosts is not present. Just
being around electromagnetic fields can cause humans to fantasize, for example,
Michael Persinger, a neuroscientist from Laurentian University ran a test on a
brain damaged girl which consisted of placing an electric clock a few inches
away from her head and then removing it. When the clock was near her she
experienced seeing ghosts in her sleep but when it was removed she no longer
saw these ghosts. It is not possible for electromagnetic fields to be moved
unless the source such as a computer monitor is moved and in many cases there
are unexplained movements of electromagnetic fields. These can signify
paranormal activity; however, there is no proof as to what causes these moving
electromagnetic fields.
EMF
detectors detect electromagnetic fields but that doesn’t necessarily mean they
detect ghosts. An inference commonly made is that ghosts contain an
electromagnetic field but it has not been scientifically proven. One way
testing could be done to see if EMF detectors actually work in ghost hunting is
to find a difference between the electromagnetic field of common items such as
a microwave or a computer monitor and a ghost, and then check if the EMF
detectors can detect this difference. Data collection is not possible in this
scenario because we currently have no valid way of obtaining ghosts to check if
they possess an electrical charge, therefore the test would not be able to
occur. However, if attempting to check if the detectors work, you should be
aware of everything in the area being tested that can create electromagnetic
fields. EMF detectors need to be calibrated every once in a while to ensure
accurate results, you should also run at least three trials and you could find
the mean of the strengths of electromagnetic fields detected in order to
determine the typical strength of the electromagnetic field ghosts possibly
produce. This can be difficult as if there are such things as paranormal
beings, they definitely do not stay one place. The placebo effect can be
eliminated by the tester testing multiple locations without having any background
information about them; some locations which people say are haunted and some which
are not known to contain paranormal activity should be tested. Possibly in the
future, there might be a way to detect ghosts but with the current EMF
detectors a sudden spike in electrical charge doesn’t necessarily mean a ghost
is present, it can be a variety of undiscovered things. In conclusion, it is an
inference that ghosts produce electromagnetic fields, and that ghost hunting
through use of EMF detectors is pseudoscience.
Sources used
Meet the EMF meter, the little tool that ghost hunters swear by-
How do I use and EMF meter-
Using an EMF(electromagnetic field) detector-
EMF Detector-Singapore-
Are EMFs making you see ghosts?
