A New Survey Revealed How Many People Have Seen A Ghost & The Results Are SO Spooky

The truth about where we humans go when we, you know, "cross over," is a mystery that has never found a definitive answer. While different cultures and individuals have their own theories, it's safe to say we don't all agree on them. Personally, I'd like to think that everyone becomes their own version of Casper the friendly ghost, but it's admittedly hard to hold on to the idea that everyone's personality remains fully intact, just floating around, totally ready to hang. With that being said, you might be as surprised as I am to learn how common ghost sightings are among the living. As a new survey reveals, the majority of people feel as though they have had an experience with not only feeling a ghostly presence, but actually seeing one.

I know, right? Total spooksville. So here's the deal: Groupon and OnePoll recently teamed up to survey 2,000 people about all things Halloween, including how they feel about haunted houses, the best types of pumpkins to pick for carving jack-o-lanterns, the most commonly shared fears, and yes, ghost sightings.

One of the spookiest results of the survey? Apparently, more than 60 percent of people admit to having seen a ghost sometime in their life. To add to that, more than 40 percent of people surveyed said they think their beloved pet has seen a ghost, too. What's more, one in three people in the survey said "they’ve lived or stayed somewhere haunted in their lifetime," according to the poll's press release.

I mean, it's possible that Groupon and OnePoll simply asked a sample of people who are already interested (and more likely to believe) in all things frightening and supernatural — but still, that's a pretty big majority of people to claim they've seen a ghost sometime in their life, no?

One other detail in the survey's findings about ghost sightings is pretty hilarious, IMO. According to the survey's press release, among those who said they believe they've had a visit from the other side, the most frequent response to a ghost sighting is, apparently, "to scream and run away."

Plus, not to make sweeping, gender-normative generalizations, but contrary to the cultural myth that women are "more easily" frightened, the Groupon/OnePoll survey found that men are apparently twice as likely to scream and bolt when encountering a ghost. The women in the survey reported having higher-pitched screams overall, but it's really the men who supposedly yell out for help more often when the afterlife comes calling.

Other common responses to ghost sightings, as reported in the survey, include sobbing, fainting, and, of course, finding a place to hide — not that hiding would really do you any good, since a ghost can basically go anywhere it pleases, right?

Despite the fact that many people tend to scream and run away when confronted with something scary, another interesting finding in this survey revealed just how much some people actually enjoy being scared. Visiting haunted houses was one of the favorite activities mentioned among the 2,000 survey respondents, and they reported getting scared in these environments in less than five seconds. Come on y'all, really?

But hey, I get it. While I'm personally still waiting to actually see a ghost — because, I swear, I've at least felt one before — I say bring it on. As the Ghostbusters were wont to say, "I ain't afraid of no ghost."