The Paranormal: Who Believes, Why They Believe, and Why It Matters

Ghosts, psychics, communicating with the dead, UFOs, angels, ESP, astrology: These and other astounding phenomena are accepted as valid by a substantial proportion of the public. Why do so many members of our scientifically sophisticated society believe in assertions that scientists have roundly and almost unanimously rejected? And what does expressing such beliefs mean for the lives of those who do? Unlike many books on the paranormal, which are focused on debunking or verifying such beliefs, this author is interested in explaining paranormal belief as a sociological phenomenon: Who believes, why, and with what consequences?