Lund University in Sweden will soon appoint northern Europe’s first professor of parapsychology, hypnology and clairvoyance to teach the study of the paranormal.

Lund University is not alone in this venture. Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Edinburgh University in Scotland also have chairs in parapsychology.

These actions, however, are contrary to a new study conducted by two British scientists.

Richard Lord and Richard Wiseman conducted a controlled experiment with infrasound, which is an extreme bass sound, inaudible to humans. Lord and Wiseman proved that it caused a variety of strange effects in people, including anxiety, extreme sorrow and chills.

These effects, they say, support a leading belief in a connection between infrasound and strange sensations. The two scientists said their findings uphold the idea that odd sensations at allegedly haunted sites are caused by infrasound, not ghosts.

John F. Kennedy University parapsychology professor Loyd Auerbach, citing horror movie technology as an example, insisted that these findings have been around for years. Auerbach said that he has been interested in parapsychology since his childhood fascinations with folklore and the television show, “The Twilight Zone.”

Auerbach said that although infrasound could be a factor in paranormal circumstances, it could not produce images in people’s heads. He went on to relay experiences in which people received information from ghosts that were later verified.

Wilton Sanders, senior physics scientist at the University of Wisconsin, said that it is fair to investigate parapsychology, but he remains skeptical.

“I’m not looking for an explanation of ghosts. I think it’s in people’s heads,” Auerbach said.

Sanders said that he is not aware whether studies of parapsychology have any substance, but said he does think it is fair to investigate. Sanders said that in parapsychology, it is the method of researching that matters and not the topic. However, he said university parapsychology study is “probably a waste of money.”

Loyd Auerbach disagrees. He said he is excited that schools are supporting the study of parapsychology.

“I think it’s great that they’re getting a chair of parapsychology,” Auerbach said. “It’s a really encouraging sign.”

Auerbach added that parapsychology is a valid form of science, but made a clear distinction between lab sciences and social sciences. Auerbach explained that as a social science, parapsychology strives to understand human experiences.

“The same rules of physics don’t apply to a social science,” Auerbach said.

He also mentioned differences, including the difficulty of replicating a parapsychology study.

Auerbach said he distinguishes himself from frauds in his field by his method of researching. Rather than approaching paranormal situations as a believer, he approaches them as a detective and seeks to understand different possibilities and explanations. In this way, Auerbach regards himself as a “situational skeptic.”

“The big question is, ‘Do we really want to know what these experiences are?'” Auerbach said. “Science has gotten in a lot of trouble by making assumptions without doing studies and without looking at new ideas. If they never looked at new ideas, we’d still be sitting here with the earth in the middle of the universe, and the sun revolving around us.”