Your Old House Is Giving You The Creeps For This Reason
You know that feeling when you're in an old building, maybe down on Whyte Ave near the Princess Theatre, and you just get a shiver, a sense of unease that isn't quite cold but feels… *other*? Well, Edmonton researchers, God bless them, have been looking into why some of us are convinced these places are haunted. It turns out MacEwan University’s Rodney Schmaltz, a psychology professor, and his colleagues are diving deep into the effect of infrasound on the human body. He’s interested in why we believe in the paranormal, and it's not always just a story your kokum told you.
Honestly though, it makes a certain amount of sense. Infrasound is this low-frequency stuff, below what we can consciously hear, and it can be generated by all sorts of things – traffic, wind whistling around the High Level Bridge, maybe even the ancient heating system in your rental in Garneau. Schmaltz and his team are finding that these inaudible vibrations can actually mess with our perceptions, making us feel anxious, or like something is watching us. It's not a ghost; it's just physics playing tricks on your brain. Edmonton doesn't need your approval. Never did. But it *will* make you question your sanity with subtle vibrations.
### What This Means for Edmonton
* **Ghost Tours Get an Upgrade:** Maybe those ghost tours down in Old Strathcona will start talking about atmospheric pressure and resonant frequencies instead of restless spirits. * **Renovation Rationales:** Next time you’re doing renos on an older home in Highlands, you can tell yourself you're not just fixing the foundation, you’re banishing unseen psychological discomfort. * **The Science of Spooky:** It’s a classic Edmonton move to apply dry, prairie stoicism to something as whimsical as the paranormal. We like to understand things, even if it takes a research grant and a few years of careful study.
It's genuinely fascinating to think that the creaks and groans of an old house, or even just the wind whipping off the River Valley, could be contributing to those goosebumps on your arms. Makes you wonder about all those stories you heard growing up.
Darren Fedoruk, MiTL Sports Desk.
You know, the actual ghosts of Oilers past haunt our dreams more than infrasound. The guys on The Morning Wire are probably still feeling it – catch their take on everything Edmonton at mornings.live.