A psychologist writing for Phys.org and The Conversation discusses why some people report seeing ghosts, arguing that the mind can make paranormal experiences more likely under certain conditions. Both pieces note that surveys suggest about one in five Americans say they have seen a ghost. The psychologist links these reports to normal cognitive processes that help people find meaning, especially when information is incomplete. When situations include ambiguous stimuli—such as unusual lights, sounds, or perceptions—or when a person is in a state that affects attention and interpretation (for example, fatigue or high expectation), the brain may fill in gaps and form a coherent explanation. The articles also emphasize that misinterpretations do not require any supernatural cause: perception and memory can be shaped by prior beliefs, social influences, and the brain’s pattern-detection systems. In this framing, “paranormal” experiences can arise from how people interpret uncertainty, rather than from direct evidence of ghosts or other entities.