Why do people believe in such things?

Question

Ghosts,Pyschics,Witches,even Werewolves and Vampires.Without any proof they buy into anecdotal evidence of UFO's and Bigfoot.It's crazy,I don't understand.

ikeman32 because it's silly.I don't care if you believe.I just wonder why.

Exraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

Cowboy now I've heard everything,"Bigfoot"is politically incorrect.

Answer 1

For some people, reality is not amazing enough, or they don't feel special enough about themselves, without having to believe that there is something more out there that makes them special if only other people could see it too. This leads to people thinking/wishing they had psychic powers, seeing auras, calling themselves "Indigos", being abducted by aliens, etc.

For me, I think the real natural world is amazing enough without having to manufacture supernatural ghosties or crazy superpowers for myself.

Answer 2

I don't know that I've ever really believed in anything; after enough philosophy and psychology classes, I am no longer even 100% certain that I exist.

Nonetheless, I take the same view as scientists do of the fossil record: there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that evolution by natural selection does actually happen, even though under laboratory conditions it can not be tested, even though crucial pieces of the story are missing, even though we may not understand fully the how and why.

Just because I've never seen any particularly convincing evidence doesn't mean ghosts don't exist. Just because I have no proof that psychics or witches can manifest any real power does not make the concept a physical impossibility.

Just because I can't personally verify that werewolves are real (or another human-like shape-shifter) doesn't mean it can't happen. Quite the contrary, there are enough animal species that do exhibit the ability to metamorphose during their life-cycle that I am more or less convinced a mammalian shifter is a real, though undiscovered, probability.

And though every "evidence" I've read or seen claiming to be proof of Bigfoot, water monsters, dragons, or any of the other cryptozoological creatures can easily be dismissed as laughable, that doesn't mean at least some of these creatures don't actually exist, yet undiscovered by science.

I don't believe in anything, but I leave open the possibility that I might be wrong. In some things, I would even like to be wrong.

Answer 3

Despite the huge number of people who believe in such things, I think there is still a bit of an ego trip involved when someone claims a belief or first-hand knowledge of these matters. It makes them feel important. Special. Gifted. The center of attention. For some, it has even gotten them into some pseudo-documentaries on television. Most of these people, I believe, would cheerfully give up body parts to get on TV and spout their nonsense.
There is also the hunger for more wonder and bigger excitement than this boring old plain, hard-to-understand NATURAL world has to offer. Many crave the breathless hysteria that goes along with seeing a satellite and thinking it's an alien craft, or tracking a ghost in someone's dark house. For them, that kind of hair-raising, freaky experience is probably better than sex. They believe in whatever turns them on. Then they wrangle and argue and make excuses to try to defend their silly beliefs. My experience has been that nothing, no amount of evidence, logic, or even irrefutable proof to the contrary will ever dissuade them from their precious beliefs.
For them, feelings are more important than facts. Wonder is more important than truth. Too bad they don't see how to have both.

Answer 4

Hope.
People, myself included, know that there's more in existence than science has explained so far. Since proving a negative is impossible these legends that have bubbled through society and our subconscious for ages will always be with us. Try and prove that my imaginary friend doesn't exist. Theory around all of the paranormal is lucrative and, for everyone who'd like a map to understanding more of the mystery they've chosen, the ticket window is always open.
Who's to say which is right and which is an illusion?
As a boy i wanted to learn all i could about Loch Ness and, looking back, it was part of me learning how to research. It increased my reading skills and taught me how to find out more about things i was curious about.
Blind faith is always dangerous - but a spark of faith coupled with a pursuit of information is what has allowed the knowledge of the world we have to evolve.
I've seen things i can't explain, don't understand, but I'm not shouting from the rooftop that UFO's and ghosts are real. I'm a skeptic and enjoy waiting and watching to see if any of these 'myths' will ever pan out.
I still hope that someday Nessie will be proved real or that someone will find a yeti but i'm not going to hold my breath or let the waiting run my life.
Isn't it OK to keep some of that curiosity alive?
I'd rather say 'i don't know' than say 'that's impossible' or 'you're wrong to believe that'.

Answer 5

I am going to focus on the one thing you mentioned that there is physical evidence for. The North American Great Ape!
There is literally ton's of physical evidence for these creatures ( of which "Bigfoot", not an acceptable term anymore, is a variety) And sightings that go back to the earliest settlement of this continent.
There are a select few cast of prints with peculiar characteristics, hair and fecal samples, blood DNA and a preponderance of other evidence. That couple with the fact that this un-cataloged great ape is mainly nocturnal by nature, highly intelligent, and very reclusive. Most people no longer spend time in the wild like they used too a nd no longer fit the rhythm of the environment.
Those of us involved in the research of this creature and others like it are in good company. Jane Goodall has gone on record stating she would be quite surprised if the animal didn't exist.
Much of the current data has not been made public at this time, to keep dorks out of the research areas. Some will be made public sooner than you might think.
If you are of a pure open scientific mind, I would like to challenge you to accompany one of the scheduled expeditions coming up. You can't do a zoological study in a sterile lab. That is what field work is for.( At least that is what they told me on the way to my Masters Degree)

Remember, information can't enter a closed mind.

( The term bigfoot isn't an acceptable to to the species specific context.. the four other varieties have similar but different characteristics)( I also assume you prefer to bash other evidence from the saftey of a desk...And will not take the open invite to " see for yourself")

Answer 6

I have never met anyone in my lifetime who claims to believe in werewolves or vampires and shouldn't even be an issue here. As for psychics, I do believe there MAY be some rare individuals who have a very heightened sense of 'intuition'.
As for creatures such as Bigfoot and the LochNess Monster - well, I don't think they are probable but do believe they are slightly possible. Every once in awhile a new species of fish, insects or bird is found, previously unknown to exist. Even some very-schooled scientists have studied the possibility of a pre-historic like fish inhabiting the Loch Ness. Ghosts, well, if I ever encounter one myself, I may become a believer after ruling out every other possible cause of the phenomena.

Answer 7

I'd like to take a stab at answering this question from the point of view of NOT being so cynical and arrogant about those things which we think we KNOW, based on empiriacal evidence. Life is so huge and yet we make ourselves SO SMALL. This happens inch by inch throughout life, as we narrow ourselves according to the limitations others seem too willing to put on us. Being the vast beings we all are, we simply HAVE to believe there is more, unplummed depths of life, other worlds which can promise to take us out of our assumed smallness. Truth is, there ARE more things in Heaven and Earth than man has ever dreamed. So, why Not? Why not look at some of the literally thousands of pictures, videos, eyewitness accounts, and "legends" of paranormal sightings and events which simply cannot be explained using any of the very limited tools we call "hard evidence" and empiriacal... Haven't you seen The Secret, or What The Bleep Do We Know ? Simply by observing a thing or an event, we change its very character and the "hardness" of it as evidence. We as a species would wither and die if we lived a life which was absolutely restricted to what feels to be irrefutable and pragmatically "IT". That would be too small for such huge beings as Humankind. You only have to use your mind with a capital M to know how much more there is to life than what we think we can see and feel and smell. Then, when you are done thinking about non-ordinary reality, go out and live it, and enjoy an enhanced version of yourself. You will be very pleasantly surprised. And if this still isn't enough, go to some of the thousands of original sources and look for yourself at the evidence for other realities, and you WILL see what you need to be able to breathe deeply again without being afraid of the supposedly "unknown. It is, after all, only unknown, not unknowable... Maybe some of the things folks believe are pretty far-fetched, but maybe, just possibly, much of their wild imagination isn't so wlld after all.... What if YOU saw a UFO, or a Bigfoot, or Nessie.....would you doubt your own senses?

Answer 8

Some people have had personal experiences with the supernatural, and it is not they who have no proof, but you. I am one of those people. Ghosts? I've met them. Been there, done that. They were actually quite friendly. Psychics? I know lots of people who routinely experience things that Psychics are supposed to be able to do. Psychics get a bad reputation since for every real one, there are 6 fake ones. Werewolves? I'd rather not go into detail... but yes. Vampires? Nope. And I don't think vampires in the traditional sense exist. Some self-proclaimed vampires can drain energy but is that really the same?

UFO's? I have no clue. Never seen one. Bigfoot? I don't know.

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And in response to another answerer, I can tell you the reason I believe what I've seen is NOT because there is not enough wonder in my life. Actually, everything I have seen has become totally demystified for me. And there is nothing quite as wonderful as a quiet, sunny morning. Well, maybe there are a lot of things just as wonderful. But I couldn't pick just one.

Answer 9

Once you have looked at this site a few times, you will note questions from people who believe things much more weird than you have asked about. Many of those people seem to have a background in the USA.

Answer 10

People who are not very bright, or who had little in the way of parenting, or who do not reason well, are prone to believe the fantastic. Insecure people are the most religious, again, believing the fantastic... and the wilder and the more stupid, and silly, the better. Logic is not part of their world... They remain with a child-like mind most of their lives,,,,, in fact all of it. Bi-polarism is a cause, chemical imbalances in the brain lead to hallucinations which people believe are real, and funny drugs do too. There also are people who just are not wired correctly.... schizophrenia, and other mental disorders, inherited as well as acquired... Before antidepressants, State mental institutions were filled with people who saw things and who were convinced that they were Jesus, or Napoleon, or Hitler.... If I had to pick one thing, among those not institutionalized, I'd say lack of intelligence.

Answer 11

They believe in it because of misunderstanding. Let's say your friend went out into the woods on a late night and never returned. You look around the woods and find him dead with a large cut on the side of his neck. It almost looks like someone bit him. There is blood all around him so you think someone sucked blood from him. You look around the woods some more and you find a large mansion. You enter the mansion and the guy living there coincidentally has two large teeth. Vampire. What really happened was that your friend went out into the woods, an owl scared him a little bit so he started running, he tripped and cut his neck. He then bled to death.