Scientists say they've finally learned why creepy old buildings freak us out

I don't go into haunted, run-down buildings very often. I think most of us are in the same boat.

I never thought I needed a scientific explanation for why they're frightening, but, per ScienceDaily, leave it to modern science to figure it out:

Infrasound, an ultra-low-frequency vibration below the range of human hearing, is everywhere from traffic to old buildings. In a small experiment, people exposed to it became more irritable, less engaged, and even showed higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol — despite having no idea it was present. The findings suggest our bodies can "sense" these vibrations without conscious awareness, potentially explaining eerie sensations in places like basements or supposedly haunted buildings.

So the frightening thing in these buildings is ... sound?

As MacEwan University Prof. Rodney Schmaltz said, infrasound "is pervasive in everyday environments, appearing near ventilation systems, traffic, and industrial machinery." Wikipedia explains it thusly:

Infrasound ... describes sound waves with a frequency below the lower limit of human audibility...Although the ear is the primary organ for sensing low sound, at higher intensities it is possible to feel infrasound vibrations in various parts of the body.

There are some interesting practical applications of infrasound: It can be used "for monitoring earthquakes and volcanoes, charting rock and petroleum formations below the earth, and also in ballistocardiography and seismocardiography to study the mechanics of the human cardiovascular system."

There are even indications that animals may be able to "perceive the infrasonic waves going through the earth," suggesting why some animals are observed to go nuts just prior to an earthquake.

So why are creepy old buildings a locus of this bizarre phenomenon? Schmaltz explains:

Consider visiting a supposedly haunted building. Your mood shifts, you feel agitated, but you can't see or hear anything unusual. In an old building, there is a good chance that infrasound is present, particularly in basements where aging pipes and ventilation systems produce low-frequency vibrations. If you were told the building was haunted, you might attribute that agitation to something supernatural. In reality, you may simply have been exposed to infrasound.

The researchers only tested one small frequency as part of this experiment; they acknowledged that there could be "many more frequencies and combinations that have their own differential effects."

Schmaltz, meanwhile, urged urban explorers to not be too afraid next time they're spelunking under an old mental asylum:

So, the next time something feels inexplicably off in a basement or old building, consider that the cause might be vibrating pipes rather than restless spirits.

Yeah I'm still not going in those places either way!