Ghost Hunting After Dark

There’s one question that ghost hunters are asked over and over (besides the ‘are you crazy?’ question.)

Why hunt for ghosts in the dark?

And really, it’s a perfectly reasonable question. If you’re going to go looking for something, it makes sense to have the lights on. You do actually want to see whatever it is you’re looking for. So what’s with all the spooky nighttime investigations?

There is some actual logic behind nighttime ghost hunting. Every group has different reasons behind their methods, so I can only speak for my own.

1. Hunting after dark is easier because in general, things tend to be quieter. There’s less traffic and fewer people moving around. Ghost hunting relies heavily on listening to your senses, especially your hearing. Which brings me to point number 2.
2. Turning out the lights sharpens your other senses. Sure, being able to see is nice and all, but when the only thing you can rely on is your hearing, you notice every sound around you. Even your sense of touch and smell are heightened. You can feel and pick up on things you may not have noticed with the lights on, simply because you were distracted by what was in front of you.
3. Cameras used for nighttime investigations use Infrared light. IR light sometimes picks up things that regular cameras don’t. By investigating during the day, you’re limiting the use of some really good technology.
4. There are theories that ghosts like to hide, preferring not to be seen by humans. Investigating in the dark makes it easier to ‘sneak up’ on whatever is out there.
5. There’s also a theory that ghosts are more active at night. There’s no real evidence that I’ve seen to back this up, but I’d love to do some experiments to test if activity really does spike after nightfall.
6. Ghost hunting after dark is just more fun. I’ve actually done some investigating during the day time and it looses a bit of the excitement of an all-nighter. There’s nothing quite like turning out the lights at a possibly haunted location and waiting to see what happens.

The reasons for wandering through the dark during a ghost hunt are different for each group and person but not completely random. Anyone have another reason to add to the list?