Evidence Standards
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Timber-frame buildings expand and contract with temperature. Creaking, popping, and banging noises are normal, especially at night when heating cycles change.

Draughts, pressure differentials between rooms, and poorly fitted latches cause doors to move without contact. Check for open windows and ventilation paths.

Poor insulation, draughts from gaps in floors, walls, or windows, and convection currents create localised temperature drops. Use a thermometer and check for air movement sources.

Water hammer (pressure surges in pipes) causes loud banging. Radiator systems create ticking, clanking, and gurgling as they heat and cool.

Loose bulbs, aging wiring, dimmer switch incompatibility, and utility supply fluctuations cause flickering. If persistent, contact a qualified electrician — this can indicate a genuine fire risk.

Mice, rats, birds, squirrels, bats, and insects inside walls, roofs, and floors create scratching, scurrying, and tapping sounds, especially at night.

Animal droppings, deceased animals in cavities, and nesting materials produce unusual odours. Pest control professionals can investigate.

Wind interacting with building features (chimneys, eaves, gaps) creates whistling, moaning, and humming. Changes in atmospheric pressure affect how sound travels indoors.

Heavy traffic, nearby construction, underground trains, and industrial equipment cause low-frequency vibrations that can be felt but not always heard.

Dust, moisture, insects, and lens flare cause circular artefacts in flash photography. These are among the most common and well-documented photographic false positives.

Reflections from windows, mirrors, polished surfaces, vehicle headlights, and streetlights create moving light effects indoors.

Background noise, electronic interference, compression artefacts, and pareidolia (the brain finding patterns in random noise) account for the vast majority of EVP-style recordings.

Sound can travel through ducts, pipes, thin walls, and open windows from neighbouring properties, roads, or outdoor sources.

Domestic wiring, appliances, transformers, and mobile phone masts generate electromagnetic fields. Consumer EMF meters detect these — they do not detect paranormal activity. High EMF exposure may cause unease or headaches in some individuals.

Batteries drain faster in cold conditions. Consumer electronics malfunction for many reasons including age, moisture, temperature, and manufacturing defects.

A well-documented medical phenomenon where the body remains temporarily immobilised during waking. Often accompanied by vivid hallucinations, a sense of presence, and chest pressure. Not paranormal.

Hallucinations experienced during the transition between wakefulness and sleep. Can include visual, auditory, and tactile sensations. Normal neurological function.

Anxiety, grief, sleep deprivation, and hypervigilance increase sensitivity to ambiguous stimuli. The brain fills in gaps with pattern-matched explanations.

Knowing a location's 'haunted' reputation significantly increases the likelihood of interpreting ambiguous experiences as paranormal. This is well-documented in psychology research.

Groups investigating together may amplify each other's interpretations. Independent documentation before group discussion reduces this effect.