Mind Full: The Canadian Psychological Association podcast

Are older buildings actually creepier? Infrasound with Dr. Rodney Schmaltz

Mind Full: The Canadian Psychological Association podcast

Show Notes

"We did NOT disprove ghosts!"

Today on Mind Full, we are speaking with Dr. Rodney Schmaltz, who recently had a study he led at MacEwan University go somewhat viral. People do love the paranormal! Dr. Schmaltz talks about the whirlwind that comes with having a study suddenly catch the attention of the public, and about the study itself. You know how sometimes you get a creepy, hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling in some older buildings? It may not be ghosts - it may be infrasound!

Infrasound exposure is linked to aversive responding, negative appraisal, and elevated salivary cortisol in humans: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1729876/full?ref=404media.co

Dr. Schmaltz on Quirks & Quarks: Do old buildings give you the creeps? New research could explain haunted feelings https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/infrasound-paranormal-9.7209127

In The Guardian: Spooky feelings in old houses may be caused by boiler sounds, study suggests https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/27/spooky-feelings-in-old-houses-may-be-caused-by-boiler-sounds-study-suggests

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