The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal

by Chris French, Richard Wiseman (Foreword)

An accessible and gratifying introduction to the world of paranormal beliefs and bizarre experiences.

Ghostly encounters, alien abduction, reincarnation, talking to the dead, UFO sightings, inexplicable coincidences, out-of-body and near-death experiences. Are these legitimate phenomena? If not, how should we go about understanding them? In this fascinating book, Chris French investigates paranormal claims to discover what lurks behind this “weird shit.” French provides authoritative, evidence-based explanations for a wide range of superficially mysterious phenomena, and then goes further to draw out lessons with wider applications to many other aspects of modern society where critical thinking is urgently needed.

Using academic, comprehensive, logical, and, at times, mathematical approaches, The Science of Weird Shit convincingly debunks ESP, communicating with the dead, and alien abduction claims, among other phenomena. All the while, however, French maintains that our belief in such phenomena is neither ridiculous nor trivial; if anything, such claims can tell us a great deal about the human mind if we pay them the attention they are due. Filled with light-bulb moments and a healthy dose of levity, The Science of Weird Shit is a clever, memorable, and gratifying read you won't soon forget.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Psychology, Audiobook, Paranormal

416 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I love weird stuff, especially if it has a paranormal spin. I am also a believer in science and data driven analysis, so while I'm open to the possibility of the weird and unexplained, I am also a skeptic. This book aims to explain coincidence, ghost and alien encounters, sleep paralysis, reincarnation, out of body and near death experiences and more with a scientific and factual approach.

The book is filled with lists, which doesn't translate well to audio. I'm not sure if the final version will have an accompanying PDF, but that would be helpful visual for some readers as the narrator often reads the criteria used for debunking or classifying a certain type of event. I found that hard to follow at times while listening. I found myself often wishing I also had a copy of the print book to reference as I went along as there are alot of facts and lists I wanted to revisit. I feel like this is a book I would have enjoyed more in print.

Overall, I found the concepts interesting but the delivery and presentation to be a bit dry. I was expecting a bit more comedy from something with such a catchy title, and perhaps it was but the comedy didn't resonate with me.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the book The Science Of Weird Shit, The perception of the paranormal by Chris French in narrated by Michael Langan in the book Chris French talks about the cause of why and how we come believe in the paranormal crypto science existence of aliens and the one that really pissed me off The belief in Jesus. First off he starts talking about the type of psychologist he is and how there really wasn’t a term for it until someone came up with one in 1980 something he has found out about and has white knuckled it ever since. I think when making yourself out to be an expert and talking about things that other people may either believe in or find interesting it’s all good and well but when you start believing in God is something people do with heart and soul, it helps form their identity and so to mock their religion I think you’ve gone too far. More than once in the book he puts religion, heaven in hell etc. in a list with such things as Bigfoot ghost aliens ET see which tells me a lot about Mr. French. With most people their religion is in bedded and makes them who they are and so mocking it is the same thing as mocking religious people. OK back to the book it said it was the science of weird shit but none of it was weird it was just stories of the paranormal and then him telling you why these people either need mental help or an electrician. If you like books where they tell you stories and then tell you why those stories are not true then maybe you’ll like this book I think I would’ve been more entertained especially due to the fact the narrator Michael Langdon had such an awesome voice am comedic timing he really knows how to sound absurd but likable at the same time. Sadly I only read this book 2 stars because one the narrator that is why it’s more than just one star and it would’ve been more it’s not for putting my religion in the same category as cartoons I get that Mr. French doesn’t believe in religion that is his prerogative but not believing in totally discrediting is something totally different. I want to thank dreamscape media and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[MKF]

DNF.

I wanted to like it because I've heard such great reviews but I was so board that I couldn't even finish chapter one. Though I did read a few of the other chapters. Even though I didn't get very far there was an issue in chapter 1 and one that was found in the plates. In chapter one the author gives a list of topics to discuss which of those topics we usually consider to be paranormal and what are not. One of those sections is under the heading fairies, vampire, and zombies even though the whole section is about the belief in fairies. The last issue was one I noticed first and had me wondering if this book was geared towards a dumber audience or the author thought his readers dumb. Under one of the plates it tells you that the painting is a painting and not a photograph. It even tells you that the majority of the illustration in this book are illustrations and not photographs. If someone can't tell an illustration from a photograph then they probably won't be reading this book.

[Alice Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting read. Very well written and informative. Funny too! Highly recommend!

[B Dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. Chapter on sleep was very informative. Would recommend

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of “The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal”

By: Chris French, Richard Wiseman (Foreword)

Disclaimer: Please note that I received an Advanced Audio Book from Netgalley and HighBridge Audio, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

⭐⭐⭐☆☆

“The Science of Weird Shit” by Chris French provides a thorough and well-researched examination of various paranormal phenomena, offering evidence-based explanations and debunking commonly held beliefs. While French’s approach is logical and commendable, the book may lack the engaging and entertaining elements that some readers seek in explorations of the supernatural.

As someone with an interest in both the paranormal and skepticism, I appreciated French’s rigorous analysis. However, I found the book to be more informative than captivating, missing the sense of excitement and discovery I had hoped for. While it may appeal to those seeking a serious and evidence-based perspective on the paranormal, readers looking for a more engaging and entertaining exploration may find themselves wanting.

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[Dr. Jalal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind Opening

A great insight into how the human mind works although that was not the aim of the book.
Highly recommended

[Emily St. Amant · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot to appreciate about this book, and the three stars are for the overall goal of this book, which was to present the science behind why some people experience paranormal phenomena. However, this lacked heart, humor, and wasn’t very engagingly written. It focused too much on rare experiences like night paralysis and on personal stories. It lacked scientific depth and left out very crucial information on the vast variety of logical fallacies and psychological reasons that can explain why many people believe in the paranormal.

I am a huge fan of Carl Sagan, and his humble style of engaging his audience from a very human place but also with challenging scientific content is desperately needed now. I’d recommend anyone wanting to learn more to avoid this book and read “The Demon Haunted World” by Sagan instead. Yes this book has some updated information like new research findings and it touches on the research replicability crisis in psychology, but in my opinion, it doesn’t add to the existing material on the topic and was a missed opportunity to engage a new generation in skepticism and the scientific method.

[Heart DeCoupeville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchased Kindle edition at full retail price.

If you're tired of the woo woo, if you're tired of the bullshit, if you're tired of the both-sidesing, if you're tired of the denial, if you're tired of the lies, GET THIS BOOK.

I can't praise it, and its author, enough. With humor, with understanding, but most of all with science, anomalistic psychologist Chris French examines numerous aspects of the phenomena that fall under the umbrella of "the paranormal." Ghosts. Near death experiences. Alien encounters and abductions. Reincarnation. Psychokinesis. Cold reading. Seances. Clairvoyance. Dreams that foretell the future. It's not that the experiences don't exist; it's that, according to French, it's all -- or at least mostly -- in our heads. And he has the scientific data to back up his claims.

Most of us at one time or another have had a weird experience that doesn't appear to have an easy and rational explanation. A dream about an old friend we haven't seen or thought about in years, and the next day that old friend calls on the phone "out of the blue." A feeling of being watched when we know we're the only person in the room or the building. A "memory" of an event we know consciously we could never have experienced. Even silly superstitions like always putting the left shoe on before the right, or vice versa, because the one time you did it the other way, something dreadful happened.

Most of us don't take it seriously. We read our horoscope in the morning paper or online and laugh, because we don't really believe in astrology. But we do read it. And every once in a while . . . it seems to be right.

Or we open that fortune cookie and the little slip of paper seems to have a message clearly meant just for us.

If none of it is "real," then what is it?

According to French, some of it is, as you may have guessed, frauds and hoaxes. Maybe you're old enough to remember Uri Geller, the sensation of the 1970s who could bend spoons merely by stroking them. Maybe you're also old enough to remember The Amazing Randi, the professional "magician" who exposed Geller for the fraud he was.

But some of what we call paranormal is the perfectly normal-normal workings of our minds. Chris French supplies the explanations that all too often don't reach the general public the way the more sensational paranormal "explanations" do.

Read it. Tell your friends about it. Ask your library to buy a copy if they haven't already. Why?

Because as Chris French says right away, "Weird Stuff Matters."

I hope that by now I have convinced you, if you didn’t believe it already, that a full understanding of the human condition must include consideration of the psychological roots of paranormal belief and experiences. But in addition to that fundamental, if rather abstract, aspect of anomalistic psychology, there are also important practical reasons for taking weird stuff seriously. Skeptics are sometimes portrayed as being miserable killjoys, out to spoil everyone else’s harmless fun. Does it really matter if your best friend is convinced that knowing someone’s star sign provides genuine insight into their personality? . . . If you believe in astrology, you’d probably think it was quite reasonable for companies to sometimes take astrological data into account when selecting applicants to fill posts, as does sometimes happen. A reasonable argument can be made that this is a totally unjustified form of discrimination given the complete lack of validity of astrology as demonstrated by literally hundreds of well-conducted tests. Your neighbor’s belief that the moon landings were faked is not in itself harmful—but research shows that belief in any one conspiracy is usually a very good predictor of belief in others, many of which, such as those embraced by the anti-vaccination movement, do cause serious harm. If your aunt insists on taking homeopathic remedies for her arthritis, she is certainly not taking advantage of the most effective treatments available. But, more importantly, should she take the same approach toward life-threatening conditions such as cancer, the consequences could be much more serious.

The general point here is that those three claims are all indicative of a lack of critical thinking. When a particular claim is based on good empirical evidence and sound reasoning, it obviously makes sense to accept it. However, many beliefs are based on weak evidence (or even no evidence at all) and very poor reasoning. This does not prevent people from making important decisions based on those beliefs.

French, Chris. The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal (pp 19-20). MIT Press. Kindle Edition.

(Emphasis mine.)

I've personally had a couple of as-yet-unexplained weird things happen. Was one a ghost said to haunt the neighborhood I then lived in? Was another an encounter with extraterrestrial aliens who caused time to slow down? Even in the absence of logical explanations, ghosts and aliens didn't fit the bill. I've always been more comfortable believing there would be a rational explanation eventually. Maybe that made me more open to Chris French's evidence-based exploration of phenomena that not to lend themselves to scientific examination. At any rate, I found The Science of Weird Shit a breath of fresh air.

P.S. Even the end-notes were interesting, informative, and well worth following up on!

Highly recommended to everyone in the reality-based community.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly engaging topic, but before diving into the content of the book I ought to mention two issues with its title. The first is that in this age of algorithmic censorship, the final word of the title can cause problems - the publisher had an issue with publicity emails being caught by spam filters, and I'm nervous enough about the contents of this review being pulled that I won't use it in the text.

The other, more subtle problem is that it's only partially what the book is about - as the subtitle makes clear. Most of it doesn't concern the science of weird stuff, but rather the science of why many of us believe weird stuff. Those aren't the same things. Such is the joy of titles - often hard to get right.

But what about the book itself? Considering it's covering what can be quite a showy field, it takes a measured approach (in fact, I'd say occasionally it's a bit too academic in feel, focused on relating facts with limited storytelling). However, there is enough narrative to keep the interest going. Chris French begins by clarifying what's meant both by paranormal phenomena and his wider field of anomalistic psychology, which takes in things like ghosts and alien abduction which don't fit into the main paranormal buckets of ESP, telekinesis and communication with the dead.

One thing this does do is bring in topics like sleep paralysis, which definitely exist, but have traditionally been given supernatural explanations, where we now know that there are good scientific reasons for what is experienced. As well as the topics mentioned above, French does a good job of taking us through near-death experiences, the counterintuitive nature of probability that lead to coincidences being more likely than we realise, dreams that are supposed to predict the future and the limits of scepticism. It's common for true believers to argue that sceptics are just out to prove them wrong, but (despite the subtitle) French does plausibly seem to take an objective viewpoint and feels as if he would be very pleased if something real could be discovered.

Any book covering psychology these days ought to bring up the replication crisis early on and to make clear if any studies referenced have small sample sizes, or gave the potential for p-hacking and other statistical misdemeanours - which means the research needs to be treated with significant scepticism itself. French does go into this at some length, especially since evidence for phenomena that appear to contradict the known laws of nature needs to be very strong. However, this comes at the end of the book. This feels a bit like the way that newspaper articles often make a bold scientific claim for which there isn't good evidence, but only point out the limitations right at the end of the article. A fairer approach would be to put the concerns about psychology studies up front, and to make clear which of the studies referenced in the book have been replicated and are good quality.

Overall, I didn't find this book as much fun as I'd hoped, though I understand why it is written the way it is. Even so, French does an excellent job in making the reader more aware of anomalistic psychology, and giving us a picture of the current state of the field.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Chris French includes what is called the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale to know in what end of the gullible-sceptic spectrum one fits. I’m happy to say that I was in the sceptic side. Still, I want to believe, so I was hoping that this volume would help me understand the neurological issues behind what’s known as the supernatural. In that way, French delivers. He offers scientific explanations to what could pass as parapsychology. I enjoyed those parts, even if he didn’t go as deep as I was hoping. I also enjoyed the narration by Michael Langan, with his beautiful accent and agreeable voice. He really makes the sense of humor pop. What I didn’t like was the way it is written, which makes it sound like French feels superior to the suckers who believe in the supernatural. He does repeat many times how he could be wrong, but I guess that putting God in the same category as astrology was a little too much for my Catholic beliefs (yes, I know they’re irrational but still, the existence of the soul is very different to a daily horoscope, in my opinion). Intelligent life in the universe was another topic I didn’t agree with. No, I’m 99.9% convinced that Area 51 is not full of little grey men but can anyone really know for sure that there isn’t life in any one of the billions of galaxies? So that’s why I didn’t connect with this book, there is a big difference between superstition and what we have no way of knowing. I was here for the ghosts and Nessie and I got heavier content than expected. I still enjoyed it.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#HighBridge Audio.

[Larasaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent explanation of how it comes about that many phenomena that appear paranormal aren't actually, and some of the reasons why most people actually believe in something paranormal. Not all the reasons, because he doesn't discuss the societal causes of such beliefs, like the money that can be made by titillating people with paranormal TV shows etc. And perhaps having no idea how the advanced technology that's so important in our daily lives actually works, so that we're surrounded by things indistinguishable from magic, confuses people about what really can happen.
But he does discuss lots of scientific research on the psychology of paranormal beliefs, the cognitive biases involved, typical personality characteristics of paranormal believers, etc. It's an excellent resource for scientific skeptics in their encounters with paranormal believers. How to test people's claims to have themselves had paranormal experiences?
This book may help with that, since he describes rigorous tests of people who claim paranormal abilities that he and others have done - and the pitfalls that need to be avoided when doing such testing. He's a researcher in anomalistic psychology, which he describes as the "attempt to explain paranormal and related beliefs and ostensibly paranormal experiences in terms of known (or knowable) psychological and physical factors. It is directed at understanding bizarre experiences that many people have, without assuming that there is anything paranormal involved."
Anomalistic psychology really should be taught to everyone in high school, and in college if they go there. If this were a sane world, it would be.

[Diane Jeske · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 rounded up)

French specializes in anomalistic psychology, i.e. the study of belief in the paranormal. He approaches claims of the paranormal with the assumption that there can be found a naturalistic explanation for such phenomena or for the belief in such phenomena. However, throughout the book he is at pains to point out what would count as good evidence for the reality of paranormal phenomena.

There are chapters on ghosts, communication with the dead, sleep paralysis, alien encounters, near death experiences, coincidences, and precognition. I particularly appreciated French's discussion of how common errors in reasoning, faulty understanding of how memory works, and poor grasp of statistics can mislead us not only with respect to beliefs in the paranormal but in other areas where these features of human cognition can be extremely deleterious. He also rightly criticizes the ways in which the media and researchers present findings, the former looking for attention-grabbing headlines and the latter cherry-picking data or misrepresenting findings. Highly recommended for goats (skeptics) and sheep (believers) alike.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 4 out of 5]

French explains the psychology of anomalous experiences, including night hags, ghosts, alien visitors, near-death experiences, coincidence, and more. It starts out (after a tour of what "paranormal" includes) with a very strong chapter on night terrors, a well-understood natural phenomenon which can seem scary and incredible (literally) to those not familiar with them. Other phenomena he discusses are not so straightforward, so the explanations get slightly less compelling, but he still does a good job, covering cognitive biases, false memories, and other factors and how they contribute. A section on how unconscious bias can push insignificant experimental results into statistical significance was particularly interesting. The down side is that the book is not a particularly compelling read; it's far better than the driest prose I've read, but any entertainment you get will have to come from the content, not the writing style.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I was hoping for, but still interesting.

I was hoping for more focus on the kind of things we see in the many, many paranormal focused reality tv shows. There was a little bit about EVPs, matrixing, and haunted places in general. But topics ranged widely. Near death experiences, alien abductions, coincidence, ESP, telekinesis, reincarnation, past-live regression, recovered memories, and the like.

The author has a pretty unique viewpoint, having gone from true believer to skeptic. But as a skeptic, his investigations are now confined to examinations based on scientific principles, and the descriptions of the scientific method are fairly boring.

This is why you see shady tactics in some paranormal investigation shows-- the truth is out there, and it’s probably boring.

[Darren Ambler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a really interesting book. The author clearly has a real passion for scientific enquiry, while a skeptic he acknowledges the impact real evidence of the paranormal would have on science (and probably society).
The book cover quite a selection of different paranormal phenomena, starting with and explanation, a bit of history and then talks about some of the studies that have been carried out to investigate the possibility of the phenomena being real (or more likely explainable by well understood biological or psychological processes).
If you like science, read this book, if you like psychology, read this book, if you like the paranormal, read this book…sod it just read this book!

[Zach Archer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter was right up my alley. I have always been a pretty big proponent of the thought that most "paranormal" phenomena have perfectly reasonable nonparanormal explanations, and that is the essence of this book. I am deeply fascinated by the inherently inexplicable as well, and am already eager to seek out certain examples brought up in this book.

While at times dry, and at times too much of a focus on certain topics more-so than others that I'm personally interested in, it was cool to see a more in-depth, scientific approach to these topics from someone who has professional experience in this field.

[Ron Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasure to read, extremely well written, engaging, funny, thought provoking and not without its reflections on the quirks and sadness of the human condition. I encourage people to read this with as open a mind as possible. There is much to learn here even for seasoned observers of the weird and wonderful (and not so wonderful). We live in an age where critical thinking is of the utmost importance in how we navigate the barrage of information which confronts us. This is a book to be welcomed and thoughtfully digested.

[Jon Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a scientist and a person with religious beliefs, I found this a brilliant read and journey through anomalistic psychology. A wonderful trip through the big hitters of experimentation into understanding the possible reasons we experience paranormal phenomena. Definitely more accessible than his previous book on animalistic psychology, it is witty and engaging, drawing you along in a way that entertains and informs by reasoning, rather than being a sermon. Highly recommend to people who are curious about understanding paranormal things.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why French wanted to make this sound like a very formal scientifically based study. It is not a frivolous book. It is a careful, scientifically-minded study into the paranormal, whether paranormal claims hold up under study and whether or not various features of it can be explained by other means. Unfortunately, the format chosen does not make it a particularly easy read. There is some interesting stuff in it though. A lot of it was stuff I'd come across before, but many of the studies that underlay that were new to me.
Interesting, but a difficult writing style.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for those curious about the supernatural, science & psychology. The author utilizes real case studies to show his viewpoints in various explorations into paranormal phenomena. He provides psychological explanation without diminishing significance to the individuals who have experienced them. A fascinating read!

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was really just okay for me and a bit too long. I liked the chapter on coincidences the best and enjoyed the shoutout to the scam that is facilitated communication, and it did seem well-researched, but… it just wasn’t as interesting to me as I expected it to be, and I had expected more swearing to match the title and there was literally none.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough read but kinda unsatisfying. I suppose I was expecting a different book. Mr. French is not trying to do a truly "deep dive" into any one of the various issues he examines, and as a result it feels a little lightweight and anecdotal. Still, he does leave us with an interesting overall review of many if not most of the most common "paranormal" controversies out there.

[Rachel Ronning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining. I did have to get up and check my clock though. I was sure there was no way I'd buy a clock with IIII. I was correct, mine is IV, however my husband's is IIII. I will probably have my son read the bit on sleep paralysis. Very useful.

[Katiana Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was written for me! I love spooky stories but am a skeptic through and through. I love how this book addresses paranormal claims with care through a scientific perspective. The author definitely left me with more compassion and openness to both the paranormal and its believers.

[Bill Philibin · Rating 5 out of 5]

(5.0 Stars)

This was excellent!

This book was interesting, and well paced. It was arranged in a logical way and made a lot of sense.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining, but far more superficial than I'd hoped for.

[ladylassitude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Kayla Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an audio ARC from The MIT Press through NetGalley.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it got a little long-winded at times. I don't know if it made me a (non)believer, but it was fun to hear how science plays into our perception of the supernatural.

[Marty Doskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this look at the paranormal and at anomalous psychology. I had never heard this term before, but it really makes sense when you think about it. This was a good overview of how many of the things in this broad category have been studied and, in some cases, disproven. Some of the topics covered in this book are extraterrestrials, ghosts, reincarnation, and precognition plus so many others. Chris French looks at research that has been done be himself and others and gives a solid summary of this.

I noticed that there are some reviews that state Mr. French made fun of people for having religious views. I didn't really see that from my point of view. I was thinking that since this book was in the Religion and Spirituality category on NetGalley, people may have gotten the wrong idea about the content of this book and taken offense where I don't think any was meant. Of course the words "science" and "shit" in the title should've been a little bit of a tip off.

The one part of this book that I didn't enjoy was the narrator on the audiobook I received. When the author used parenthetical phrases, the narrator really changed his tone and I found it very distracting. It was almost like the announcer they use on the game show Password when the password is told to the audience in a hushed tone. But others seemed to enjoy his narration, so to each their own.

Thank you to Highbridge Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.