Why is it that three-quarters of us believe in some kind of supernatural phenomenon, asks BRUCE HOOD

How often have you thought about someone you haven't heard from in a long time, only to soon receive a telephone call from that person? You may find it difficult not to think that some connection exists between the events. Would putting on second-hand clothing that had belonged to a murderer make you feel uncomfortable? Even though the clothes have no physical trace of the previous owner, you may feel that they are contaminated. Have you ever felt that you were being watched from behind and then discovered that, indeed, someone was staring at you?

Most of us have had similar unusual experiences and sensations that defy obvious explanation. Even in this modern scientific age, many who consider themselves rational still are sometimes surprised by irrational thoughts. We may all recognise the fantastical nature of ghosts, fairies, and wizards, but other, equally magical beliefs are so common that the majority of adults assume that supernatural phenomena - those that cannot be explained by natural laws - are real.

For example, a recent Gallup poll revealed that around three out of four adults believe in some form of supernatural phenomena such as telepathy, déjà vu, reincarnation, ghosts and so on. But not one shred of reliable scientific evidence can be found for any supernatural phenomenon. In 1979, a panel commissioned by the U.S. National Research Council to investigate psychic phenomena concluded: "Evaluation of a large body of the best available evidence simply does not support the contention that these phenomena exist." Yet somehow this message has fallen on deaf ears.

How can science make sense of such mass delusion? At Science Oxford on Friday, June 13, I will present evidence and propose the theory that many supernatural beliefs originate from the same mental and physiological processes that also lead us to rational explanations through what is called intuitive reasoning. By "intuitive," I mean the spontaneous, unlearned reasoning that governs many of our decisions and that often operates in the background of our conscious awareness. This is relevant to recent claims that supernaturalism is primarily attributable to religions spreading beliefs among the gullible minds of the young. It may be that religious supernaturalism transmits so well because it capitalises on a natural bias to assume the existence of supernatural forces in the first place. A sense that there is some supernatural going on. If this is the case, it may be very difficult to eradicate through reason.

For more information and bookings about The Supernatural Sense', visit www.scienceoxford.com or call 01865 728953.

Bruce Hood is director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre at the University of Bristol and author of SuperSense: A Scientist Explains Why People Believe the Unbelievable to be published by Harper Collins.

The Science Matters page is co-ordinated by Science Oxford.