Weird “national” holidays are the best. Though everyone may be looking forward to more accepted holidays like Cinco de Mayo, there are a few weirdos who may be excited for today… National Paranormal Day.

Wikipedia says, “The most notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to ghosts, extraterrestrial life, unidentified flying objects, psychic abilities or extrasensory perception, and cryptids.”

A survey of Bob Jones students revealed some surprising results. Most Bob Jones students surveyed revealed that they do believe that alien life exists somewhere in the universe. The majority was strongly against the possibility of any psychic abilities or cryptids like Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot. They were divided in the middle on the possibilities of ghosts.

Why do cultures all over the world and throughout all of known time have evidence of belief in the paranormal? Bob Jones students weighed in. Junior Emily Franklin said, “They want something to believe in. Our mind is capable of doing very powerful things with very little information or proof, so much so that we create these fantasies of the paranormal for the things we cannot explain.” Freshman Hayden Madison said, “I think there are many different reasons why… Maybe everyday life is boring to some people and maybe they long for something crazy to happen or something crazy to be discovered. It would be cool if there were more to life than what we have now.” Junior Byron Headwick said, “I think people have a fascination with the paranormal because we’re curious creatures.”

Paranormal subjects often do well at the box office. From Puff the Magic Dragon to The Conjuring, people enjoy storylines with paranormal subject matter. Maddie Moe said, “They like the good spooks.” Sophomore Anaya Chambers likes “the big screen… I personally go for other people’s reactions, so I know I’m not the only one getting frightened.” Sophomore Emilee Lamps stated that “some people think our world does have those things, but it kind of gives viewers hope that there is something more out there. Life can be boring, and magic and stuff like that are more interesting.”

Regardless of how you feel about the paranormal, today IS National Paranormal Day.