Is that spooky old house full of ghosts, or just infrasound?

Old houses don't just scare us because of ghosts—they may be haunted by infrasound, an inaudible low-frequency vibration that triggers unease, stress, and even the sensation of being watched. Dr. Rodney Schmaltz, a psychology professor at McEwen University, led a study showing that exposure to infrasound—common in aging buildings with old pipes or boilers—increases cortisol levels and makes people feel more irritated, sad, and less interested in their surroundings, even when they can’t hear anything. This explains why people in dim, creaky basements might interpret physical sensations as paranormal. The research offers a scientific alternative to ghost stories, helping close the cognitive gap between personal experience and rational explanation. Meanwhile, Dr. Milton Garces of the University of Hawaii’s Infrasound Laboratory reveals that infrasound is everywhere in nature—from volcanoes and hurricanes to asteroid impacts—traveling around the globe and even offering early warnings for tsunamis and eruptions. By converting these inaudible rumbles into audible sound, Garces turns geological forces into hauntingly beautiful audio, calling one rare wave the 'sonic unicorn.' Together, their work reveals that the spookiest thing in old houses may not be ghosts—but the invisible, rumbling world we’re wired to feel, not hear.