We’ve all had that thing haven’t we? Where you see something out of the corner of your eye and spin around to find that there’s nothing there.

Frequently, people attribute this to a ghost or a shadow person – something paranormal at least. But what is it really?

Shadow people have been around in the paranormal community forever. That person or thing that was seen in the blink of an eye or lurking in the corner of the room at night. Quite often, they are seen when the lights are dim or there is hardly any light at all, only to disappear when we make the room brighter.

Explanations for what shadow people are can be varied. Some people believe that they’re ghosts, visiting from the other side. Some people believe that they’re demons, because they’re always dark and sinister, without any real shape. A dark shadow. There are no defining features with shadow people, just a dark mass that we can’t figure out. It doesn’t help that they’re in our peripheral vision either, because our eyes can only establish detail when we get a good long look at something.

Anyone Can See A Shadow Person

You’ll never see a shadow person in the complete dark, because obviously they’ll just blend in. You can’t see a shadow when the whole room is shadow.

I’ve never understood the turning off of lights for a ghost hunt. Never in the history of ghost stories has one ever started out with ‘I was sat in my living room, in the dark…’ Also, are we expecting that all ghosts glow in the dark? Is that why ghost hunters turn the lights off? I always thought that the most genuine ghosts that have been seen have been seen in broad daylight. They’re the interesting ones.

But if you want to see a shadow person you can do it very easily. And here’s how.

Wait until it’s dark outside. Purely because it’s easier to have a darkened room when it’s dark out, so you don’t have to black out your windows. Then switch off all the lights, but keep your eyes open when you do it. There will be enough ambient light from an alarm clock or a street light that you will get the tiniest bit of it seeping in. When you turn off the lights then note how many shadow people you see around the room. And you will see them. I can guarantee it.

And This Is Why You Will See A Shadow Person

Scientifically our mind is programmed to see something human like in the shapes that we can see, so we will fill in the bits that are missing. So if there’s a cloud that looks like a teddy bear, we will see a teddy bear, because we will fill in the gaps. We will see faces in the patterns of grain in a plank of wood, or photographs of rock formations beamed back from the Mars Rover. We will even see them in steam in the bathroom. Because our brain will make us see them.

Our peripheral vision is still capable of recognising patterns in shapes so it is still possible to materialise faces and bodies in these images too.

The phenomenon of recognising shapes and familiar objects in vague and random images is called pareidolia, and I am not making that up.

If you think about the famous Rorschach or inkblot test, this is exactly the kind of phenomenon that helps you see shadow people.

So, next time you’re on a ghost hunt, or see something flit past a doorway out of the corner of your eye, have a look around and see if the shadows or anything passing have got you filling in the blanks.

And definitely try the experiment for yourself before you go to sleep tonight. If you dare…