Shadow people
Encyclopedia
Shadow people are supernatural
shadow-like humanoid
figures that, according to believers, are seen mostly in peripheral vision
and move quickly. They are sometimes known in modern folklore
and paranormal
popular culture
as dark entities with malevolent intentions.
s or hallucinations brought on by physiological/psychological circumstances, drug use or side effects of medication, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.
An illusion of a shadow person can be created when the left temporoparietal junction
, a specific region of the brain, is stimulated. This sensation (the illusion of seeing a shadow person) may be heightened in people who have a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia or paranoia. The brain uses sensory information such as figuring out where certain body parts are in relation to objects around the body. The temporoparietal junction deals with these cues too and when the function is disrupted, it is possible for the brain to perceive two bodies instead of one.
Pareidolia
can sometimes explain why figures are seen peripheral areas of vision
. Pareidolia is a phenomenon in which the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns of light/shadow or texture as familiar patterns such as faces and human forms.
Hypnagogia
(also known as "waking-sleep"), a physiological condition in which one is partially between sleep and full consciousness, could also account for such perceptions. During hypnagogia, one can be conscious and aware of their environment, but also in a dream-like state where they can perceive images from their subconscious. People experiencing hypnagogia commonly report seeing or sensing lights or shadows moving around them, as well as other visual hallucinations and even a (subtle or powerful) feeling of dread
. Hypnagogia is sometimes known as 'the faces-in-the-dark phenomenon' because these people commonly report seeing faces while experiencing hypnagogia. Hypnagogia hallucinations are more common in people who already experience symptoms of insomnia, extreme daytime sleepiness, or mental disorders. However, these hallucinations are most common in people who are experiencing narcolepsy.
Another reason that could be behind the illusion of seeing a shadow person is the symptoms sleep deprivation
. Hallucinations have been connected with the deprivation of sleep. With lack of sleep, the neurons in the brain are unable to work efficiently and effectively. Therefore, the brain may create a picture dissimilar to reality and cause the person to believe in something that isn't there.
Schizophrenia
can provide another explanation for Shadow People. People who are often associated with this mental disorder can have delusions and see things that aren't actually there. Delusions can occur in the nonappearance of abnormal perceptions and different beliefs can be present in various people with abnormal perceptions. Schizophrenic people may have delusions that rise out of tendencies to attribute to the causes of outside forces.
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
shadow-like humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
figures that, according to believers, are seen mostly in peripheral vision
Peripheral vision
Peripheral vision is a part of vision that occurs outside the very center of gaze. There is a broad set of non-central points in the field of view that is included in the notion of peripheral vision...
and move quickly. They are sometimes known in modern folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
as dark entities with malevolent intentions.
Scientific explanations
Several scientific principles can be used to explain reports of shadow people, including optical illusionOptical illusion
An optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source...
s or hallucinations brought on by physiological/psychological circumstances, drug use or side effects of medication, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.
An illusion of a shadow person can be created when the left temporoparietal junction
Temporoparietal junction
The temporoparietal junction is an area of the brain where the temporal and parietal lobes meet, at the posterior end of the Sylvian fissure...
, a specific region of the brain, is stimulated. This sensation (the illusion of seeing a shadow person) may be heightened in people who have a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia or paranoia. The brain uses sensory information such as figuring out where certain body parts are in relation to objects around the body. The temporoparietal junction deals with these cues too and when the function is disrupted, it is possible for the brain to perceive two bodies instead of one.
Pareidolia
Pareidolia
Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon or the Moon rabbit, and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse...
can sometimes explain why figures are seen peripheral areas of vision
Peripheral vision
Peripheral vision is a part of vision that occurs outside the very center of gaze. There is a broad set of non-central points in the field of view that is included in the notion of peripheral vision...
. Pareidolia is a phenomenon in which the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns of light/shadow or texture as familiar patterns such as faces and human forms.
Hypnagogia
Hypnagogia
Hypnagogia is the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep , originally coined in adjectival form as "hypnagogic" by Alfred Maury....
(also known as "waking-sleep"), a physiological condition in which one is partially between sleep and full consciousness, could also account for such perceptions. During hypnagogia, one can be conscious and aware of their environment, but also in a dream-like state where they can perceive images from their subconscious. People experiencing hypnagogia commonly report seeing or sensing lights or shadows moving around them, as well as other visual hallucinations and even a (subtle or powerful) feeling of dread
Dread
Dread may refer to* Dread , a fearful emotion.* Angst, a profound and deep-seated spiritual condition of insecurity and despair in the free human being in Existentialist thought...
. Hypnagogia is sometimes known as 'the faces-in-the-dark phenomenon' because these people commonly report seeing faces while experiencing hypnagogia. Hypnagogia hallucinations are more common in people who already experience symptoms of insomnia, extreme daytime sleepiness, or mental disorders. However, these hallucinations are most common in people who are experiencing narcolepsy.
Another reason that could be behind the illusion of seeing a shadow person is the symptoms sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. It adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. Few studies have compared the...
. Hallucinations have been connected with the deprivation of sleep. With lack of sleep, the neurons in the brain are unable to work efficiently and effectively. Therefore, the brain may create a picture dissimilar to reality and cause the person to believe in something that isn't there.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
can provide another explanation for Shadow People. People who are often associated with this mental disorder can have delusions and see things that aren't actually there. Delusions can occur in the nonappearance of abnormal perceptions and different beliefs can be present in various people with abnormal perceptions. Schizophrenic people may have delusions that rise out of tendencies to attribute to the causes of outside forces.
See also
- Apparitional experienceApparitional experienceIn psychology and parapsychology, an apparitional experience is an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience.It is characterized by the apparent perception of either a living being or an inanimate object without there being any material stimulus for such a perception...
- Bhoot (ghost)Bhoot (ghost)A bhoot or bhut is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent...
- Ethereal beingEthereal beingEthereal beings, according to some belief systems and occult theories, are mystic entities that usually are not made of ordinary matter. Despite the fact that they are believed to be essentially incorporeal, they do interact in physical shapes with the material universe and travel between the...
- SuccubusSuccubusIn folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
- YureiYureiare figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 , meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 , meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け...