If you were to ask 100 people if they believe in ghosts, how many do you think would say yes? It might depend on the age range or geographic location, but overall it likely wouldn’t be a majority.
When faced with such a direct proposition, you might find only a low percentage is willing to admit it. But just because people will laugh at ghosts and monsters under the bed doesn’t mean that they don’t possess different (but ultimately extremely similar) types of magical thinking and supernatural beliefs—all of which can generally be explained or labeled as magic.

For instance, do you want your favorite sports team to win? You might just feel better if you wear the same pair of socks you wore the last time they won. Magical thinking such as superstitions creeps into our lives in small, almost imperceptible ways that make it second nature for us to believe in. From there, they only grow in ways that can end up skewing reality.

Continue reading “Ghosts, Magic, and Pareidolia”