Why do we all go mad in our first months of paranormal investigating?

Real talk: I reckon everyone who gets into this hobby goes through a phase where they think every creaky floorboard and shadow is proof of ghosts. I certainly did.

When I first started (about three years ago), I'd get home from a "investigation" - which was basically me wandering around a pub at closing time with a thermometer - absolutely convinced I'd found something world-changing. Every bit of interference on my phone was a spirit trying to communicate. Every cold spot was a ghostly presence. Every weird noise was obviously paranormal.

It took me about six months and loads of debunking to realise I was just being daft. Once I learned about thermal imaging limitations, confirmation bias, pareidolia, and the fact that old buildings are just... well, old and creaky... things made a lot more sense.

I'm not saying ghosts aren't real (I still think something's going on), but I'm saying we'd all get a lot more credible if we spent more time trying to explain what we're seeing than trying to prove it's supernatural.

Does anyone else have this experience? The "everything's a ghost" phase and then the "wait, that's just the boiler" realisation?

Mate, I'm still in the "everything's a ghost" phase and I'm not sure I want to leave it. It's more fun that way. But you're right - the amateur ones would be more believable if they actually tried to debunk their own evidence first.

why do we all go mad in our first months

Pattern recognition. Human brains are wired to find patterns and meanings even when there aren't any. Add in the fact that paranormal investigating happens at night (when we're naturally more suggestible) and in spooky old places (which are inherently atmospheric), and it's a perfect storm for seeing ghosts everywhere.

I'm four months in and absolutely in that phase right now. So you're saying I'm going to be embarrassed about my current "findings" in a year? Wonderful. But honestly this is good to hear. Better to know it's a normal learning curve than think I'm genuinely that good at detecting paranormal activity.

This is why I like this forum. Everyone else seems way too credulous. Nice to see someone admitting that most "evidence" is probably explainable if you actually look at it properly. Doesn't mean there's nothing real, just means we should be more careful about what we claim.

The hardest part is learning that being skeptical of your own experience doesn't mean you don't believe in the paranormal. You can be both. That took me a while to figure out.