The link between magnetic fields and ghosts has been carefully studied by many paranormal researchers and ghost hunters. None more famous though than the Ghostbusters of the 1984 film. Even everyone’s four favorite paranormal scientists used electromagnetic devices as they tracked and captured the ghoulish monsters preying on innocent librarians and Sigourney Weaver. How useful would their magnetic devices be in reality?

Proton Packs

You probably remember the proton packs the Ghostbusters wore as part of their uniform. These devices are particle accelerators similar to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC consists of a ring of superconducting magnets whose magnetic field guides the high-energy particle beams inside the accelerator. A real particle accelerator would definitely not be light or compact enough for the Ghostbusters to carry on their backs, but it is a real device. In the movie, the Ghostbusters contained the negatively charged ectoplasmic entities or ghosts with the positively charged electromagnetism of their proton packs. Ectoplasm was a term used to describe supernatural goo that ghosts emitted, but it was essentially a parlor trick ghost hunters used to deceive people.

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Detectors

Many paranormal investigators actually do use electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors in real life. But while ghost hunters believe ghosts can generate their own electromagnetic fields, scientists believe the opposite. Electromagnetic fields can have interesting effects on the human brain. From changing morality and treating depression to affecting someone’s speech, magnetism can affect your brain in several spooky ways. The scariest effect, however, is probably how electromagnetism can cause people to have hallucinations or feel a ghostly presence. When certain parts of the brain are stimulated by an electromagnetic field, people have been known to sense that someone is behind them or is following them. While the Ghostbusters are entertaining and their ghost hunting devices aren’t far off from reality, especially the EMF detector, they wouldn’t work the same way in real life. For example, the Ghostbusters are careful not to cross the streams of their proton packs when crossing streams in the LHC would be near impossible because they are so small. You would have trouble making them collide with your hand let alone each other. So, if you experience anything paranormal who ya gonna call? Image by theNerdPatrol