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Writer's pictureBarbara Ford

Auditory Pareidolia: Can You Trust Your Ears?

Updated: Feb 5, 2022


This is true for the case of hearing random voices through electrical devices like fans, air conditioners and other forms of white noise. Our brains are hard wired to hear voices even if there aren’t any actually voices. So when it comes to white noise sounds, there will be some fluctuations in the sound, and we are predisposed to finding voices and words in those sounds. It’s called Auditory Pareidolia.

It’s also been proven that Auditory Pareidolia is also susceptible to suggestions. For example, if you believe you are in the presence of the ghost of a kind old woman, you are more likely to “hear” the voice an old woman speaking kindly to you through the fan, refrigerator etc. If you believe you are in the presence of a negative demon, you are more likely to “hear” the voice of a menacing demon, and hear threats through your electronics.

To make matters more complicated, there is a long standing belief that spirits can manipulate electronic devices easier than other was to communicate with us. Thomas Edison himself once told Scientific America in an interview regarding the possibility of using his inventions to communicate with spirit, that the spirits were only capable of subtle influences, a sensitive recording device would provide a better chance of spirit communication than the table tipping and Ouija boards that were both popular at the time. Since his interview, inventors have been scrambling to create the perfect device to allow us to speak to spirits. Now-a-days it is quite common for paranormal enthusiasts and investigators alike to use a digital recorder to capture potential audio from spirits. But there are other devices as well. The spirit box or ghost box is a good example. Usually they are designed to scan through the AM radio bandwidth quickly, and so it appears as if a spirit may be speaking to you through it. And with technology growing, there are tons of apps as well you can download onto your phone or tablet that generate responses similar to a ghost box.

Is it a spirit or is it auditory pereidolia?? Ultimately science can’t answer that question yet. We are a long time away from confirming this. To begin, we have not successfully identified what consciousness or the soul is. That would have to be proven first. Then we need to ascertain that consciousness survives death, and then science can start working on proving the presence of spirits in a particular space. If you are looking to purchase a spirit box to communicate with your loved ones who have passed away, I would advise you save your money. You are better off to work on meditating, quieting your mind and being open to messages from your loved ones however they come. I f you are a paranormal investigator, then it’s important to know about auditory pereidolia as it will absolutely impact your investigations. Using a variety of technology instead of relying on only a ghost box will serve you better. Ultimately knowledge is power, and the more we understand about how our bodies work, the more it can only help us in our pursuits in the spiritual realms. Ï

Barbara Ford is an internationally recognized Spiritual Advisor, Holistic Practitioner & Paranormal Expert. She has been featured in magazines, a book, a documentary, many TV Shows book for her excellent work. Barbara is also a published author of the Seekers Oracle Deck. To book a consultation or a reading please call 289-891-7711

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