GhostLab: Analyzing Sociocultural Patterns and Psychological Factors in Thai Ghost Stories from the ‘Man vs Ghost’ Program

GhostLab examines how ghost encounters in contemporary Thai society reveal broader questions of belonging, cultural memory, and social identity. Using data from Man vs. Ghost, the study analyzes patterns in ghost appearances, emotional responses, and belief systems through systematic categorization, English translation, data cleaning, chi-square testing, and visual representation. Findings show significant relationships between ghost perceptions and regional culture, historical site significance, religious practice, gender, and observer demographics. Fear is stronger in historically significant places and nighttime encounters, suggesting that haunted spaces can reflect how communities remember loss, history, and unresolved social experiences. Cultural and religious beliefs shape how ghosts’ motivations and actions are understood, connecting the living, the dead, and the spiritual world within shared systems of meaning. As a culturally grounded case study, GhostLab contributes to global conversations on how folklore, psychology, and collective memory shape belonging, identity, and human responses to the unknown.