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If you believe the dead can return to haunt the living,
如果你相信死人可以回来纠缠活人
you’re not alone.
那么你就不是一个人
According to one poll, 45% of Americans believe in ghosts
有投票显示，45%的美国人相信鬼魂的存在
and 28% claim to actually have seen a ghost.
还有28%的人声称他们曾经见过鬼魂
They show up in our movies, “I see dead people.”
电影里有鬼魂，“我看见鬼了”
books, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony music videos.
书里，以及Bone Thugs-N-Harmony乐队的mv里都有鬼魂
As far back as we can trace human life,
自打人类历史开始，
there’s evidence that
有证据显示，
almost every culture has expressed curiosity about what comes after.
几乎每种文化都对人死后的情形充满兴趣
Many people believe in them,
很多人都相信鬼魂这种东西
but is there actually any proof that ghosts exist?
但是有没有证据能表明鬼魂真的存在呢？
I went to Buffalo, New York, to talk to Joe Nickell,
为了跟乔耶·尼克尔谈一谈，我专程去了纽约的布法罗
a paranormal investigator who’s been trying to answer that question for almost 50 years.
他是一名超自然现象研究员，过去将近50年的时间，他一直在努力钻研鬼魂这一问题。
I’m the world’s only full-time, salaried, professional, science-based paranormal investigator.
我是全世界唯一一个全职、带薪、以科学为基础的超自然现象的专业研究员
I’m looking to explain a case, not debunk it, not promote it. Explain it.
我想做的是解释一种想象，而不是去暴露这种现象，或是推动这种现象，而是去解释它
Nickell is a true renaissance man,
尼克尔的多才多艺是毋庸置疑的
drawing from a wide variety of disciplines for his cases.
为了研究案例，他综合了很多学科的知识
I mean, at one time or another, I’ve used linguistic analysis,
我想说的是，我时不时地会用到语言分析，
I’ve used blood pattern analysis, psychological insights.
用到血迹分析，心理学知识
Nearly anything could be used if it would illuminate a particular case.
只要能够帮助分析某个具体案例，哪个学科的知识都会拿过来用
So in the hundreds of cases in his half-century of investigation,
那么，在他将近半个世纪的调查过的数百个案例中
has he ever found anything that would make him believe in ghosts?
他有没有找到能让他相信鬼魂存在的证据呢？
Not only have I never found a single case that I thought was proof of a ghost,
不仅我没有找到任何一个能够证明鬼魂存在的证据
neither has science.
整个科学界就没能证明它的存在
Not a single ghost or haunting has been authenticated by science.
没有一个鬼魂存在的现象得到了科学的证实
Part of what makes it difficult to investigate is
这个问题之所以很难研究，部分原因在于
all the different ways people have defined “ghosts.
人们对“鬼魂”所下的定义各不相同
” Books flying off a shelf? Ghost. Orbs in photos? Ghost.
从书架上掉落的书？是鬼魂。照片里的球体？也是鬼魂。
Mysterious footsteps in the attic? Ghost.
阁楼上神秘的脚印？还是鬼魂。
Patrick Swayze seductively helping you throw a vase?
帕特里克·斯威兹引诱你把花瓶打碎了？
Definitely ghost.
鬼魂，妥妥的鬼魂
All of the would-be evidence that ghosts exist consists of ambiguous photographs, videos,
所有疑似鬼魂存在的证据里都有模糊的照片或是模糊的影像
The next day, his HDTV literally begins rocking violently from side to side all by itself.
第二天，他的高清电视突然开始剧烈地晃动起来了
and first hand accounts,
下面是当事人的亲口描述
"Even if it’s during the day,
“即使是白天
there’s this eerie feeling that you get that there’s someone there. "
你也会有种阴森的感觉，觉得有个人在那里”
which, while fun and spooky, are not exactly scientific proof.
这种说法，虽然有趣又怪吓人的，确切地说算不上科学的证据
Ghost hunters often use gadgets such as EMF meters,
追踪鬼魂的人通常会使用一些电磁场计之类的小玩意儿
a tool that measure electromagnetic fields,
电磁场计可以检测到电磁场
which ghosts can supposably manipulate.
而人们认为鬼魂能够轻松改变电磁场的存在
But nobody’s been able to explain exactly what the link is,
但没有人能解释两者之间具体有何关联
and most scientists are pretty skeptical of this stuff.
而且，多数科学家对此都表示怀疑
So there might not be any empirical, scientific evidence that shows that ghosts exist,
所以，或许完全没有能够表明鬼魂存在的实证性的科学依据
but that doesn’t actually mean that you’re crazy if you think you see one.
但这并不代表你觉得你看见过鬼魂这一想法很离谱
There are plenty of logical explanations for paranormal experiences.
有很多合理的解释可以用来说明各种超自然体验
One is infrasound, a sound that falls below the audible 20Hz frequency.
其中之一就是次声的存在，次声的频率在20Hz以下，而20Hz以上的声波才能被人听见
Infrasound can be produced by many things,
很多东西都能发出次声声波
including severe weather, humpback whales,
例如极端的天气，座头鲸
or certain machinery like engines or fans.
以及引擎、电扇之类的机器
Researchers have hypothesized that exposure to infrasound can induce feeling of depression,
研究人员猜测，受到次声的影响可能会造成压抑、
chills, and the sense that somebody’s presence is near you.
发冷、感觉有人在你旁边等感觉
The sound can even cause visual hallucinations.
这种声波还能让人产生幻视
At the frequency of 18Hz, it resonates with the structure of the human eyeball.
频率为18Hz的次声会跟人的眼球产生共鸣
And if you have a sound that resonates with something material,
如果发出能跟某种实物共鸣的声音
it will make the material vibrate at that frequency.
那个物体就会以那个频率振动
And when that happens to you,
如果这种情况发生在人身上
your eye begins to see things that are in fact not there.
那么人的眼睛就会看到一些实际并不存在的东西
Swiss scientists have also been able to simulate a ghost in a lab.
瑞士科学家还发明了在实验室里模拟鬼魂的装置
They made a robot that mimics the movement of the subject’s hands
他们发明了一个能够模仿受试者手部运动的机器人
with a mechanical arm that touches your back, but with a slight delay.
这个机器人会用手臂触摸受试者的背部，只不过比受试者的动作稍有延迟
When you delay the movement,
制造出这种延迟的效果时
it creates an unmistakable sensation for subjects
受试者就有种清晰的感觉
that there’s a ghostly presence in the room.
觉得屋里有鬼魂存在
This time it really felt like I was playing with somebody, something.
这一次我真的能感觉到我好像是在跟某个人或是某种东西玩儿
So it wasn’t myself that was poking me in the back,
在背后戳我的不是我自己
but it was as if I was playing with an animal,
感觉好像我是在一个动物玩儿
a monkey that was poking me in the back or something like that.
好像有猴子在背后戳我似的
While most ghost sightings can’t be written off as a robot poking your back,
虽然多数看见鬼魂的体验并不能用机器人在背后戳你这种感觉来描述
this experiment does highlight how manipulating certain parts of your brain
但这个实验确实表明，通过控制人们大脑的某些部位
can produce what researcher Olaf Blanke calls "misperceived self-representation"
能够让人产生研究者欧拉夫·布兰科所谓的“误导性自我表征” 的感觉
which can easily be misconstrued as a ghostly presence.
而这种感觉很容易被误解为鬼魂的存在
Sometimes even just a person’s state of consciousness
有时，即使是清醒的状态
can make them feel or see presences.
也能让人感觉到或是看到鬼魂的存在
We can actually have people see ghosts,
其实我们能够做到让人看见鬼魂
and those tend to be waking dreams that occur in the twilight between being fully asleep and fully awake.
一般在人们完全睡着和完全清醒之间的梦醒之际会有这种感觉
These kind of waking dreams can also be called sleep paralysis,
这种梦也可以叫做“睡眠瘫痪症”
which about 8% of people experience at some point in their lifetime.
有大约8%的人会在他们人生中的某一时刻经历这种睡眠瘫痪症
You feel like you’re awake,
你感觉你是醒了
but you’re unable to move your body,
但你就是动不了
and it’s often accompanied by terrifying visuals like shadows, people, or even monsters,
这种症状通常还会伴随着看见阴影、人甚至怪物之类可怕的东西的感觉
which, if you didn’t know what was happening,
这种情况下，如果你不明白是什么情况
would be easy to confuse for having seen a ghost.
那么你很容易把它跟看见了鬼魂这种事情想混淆
Another possible explanation for ghostly sightings is grief.
可以解释看见鬼魂这一现象的另一个可能的原因是悲伤
One study found that up to 60% of people that lose a spouse
研究表明，有高达60%失去配偶的人
claim to see or hear their dead loved ones.
声称他们看见过或是听见过他们已逝的爱人说话
In his book about hallucinations, neurologist Oliver Sacks
在神经学者奥利弗·萨克斯关于幻觉的著作中，
said that seeing the face of a deceased loved one can actually help you cope with your grief.
他就曾写道，看见已逝的爱人其实能帮助人们克服他们的悲痛
"This sort of hallucination is not frightening; it’s often very comforting.
“这种幻觉并不可怕，反而是一种安慰的力量
It seems to be part of the mourning process.
也可以说是哀悼这个过程中的一部分
It really, likes a sudden hole has been left in one’s life,
其实就好比是，一个人的身体突然被掏空了
and this helps it to heal over."
这种幻觉反而可以帮助人们慢慢愈合”
"There is no question that most of the paranormal promotes something very positive.
“大多数超自然现象其实都体现了某种积极的东西，这一点是毋庸置疑的
There are a few exceptions,
虽然不乏有一些例外，
but all have to do with our hopes and our fears.
但所有这些现象都跟我们的希望和恐惧有关
We’re hopeful that ghosts exist because then we don’t really die.
我们希望鬼魂存在，因为这样我们就不会死了
Our loved ones are not gone from us; they are real and alive.
我们的挚爱就不会离开我们，他们是活生生真实存在的
I remember when my grandmother died and
我还记得我奶奶去世的时候
how much I did not want that to be the case.
我多么希望那不是真的
But the ghost idea,
但是鬼魂这一概念
the idea that we just get up out of our bodies and continue on, is powerful.
这种我们离开我们的肉体继续存在的概念是很有用的
Because who doesn’t have an instance in which he or she would say,
因为，谁没遇到过下面这种情况，
I just wish I could’ve told my mother this one thing.
不会说“我多么希望我把这件事告诉了妈妈” ，
Or I wish my father knew I wasn’t really mad at him that time.
又或是“我多么希望爸爸知道我那次并没有生他的气”呢
So ghosts may not actually exist,
所以，鬼魂或许并不真的存在
but that doesn’t mean that you might not see one.
但这并不意味着你就不会看到它
