Is it possible to interact with the dead? Belief in such encounters is more widespread than we might think. Yet sociologists, unlike other disciplines, have not fully engaged the question. Here, I review both long-standing theoretical objections to such research and recent theories that encourage attention to the issue.

Leaning on the latter, I use closed-end and open-ended survey data collected from 535 Americans to explore what I call “living-deceased perceived interaction.”

My data show that nearly half of my study participants report meaningful and regular interactions with deceased relatives and friends who were important in their lives.

I examine the characteristics of such interactions—how and when they are performed and what these experiences mean to respondents. I also investigate the role of one’s social location in initiating interactions with the dead. Finally, I explore the social benefits, if any, these interactions provide for individuals who engage in them. This includes the potential for comfort, closure, and a sense of continued connection with loved ones who have passed away.

The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the social and psychological aspects of grief and mourning, and suggest that perceived interactions with the dead may be a common and potentially beneficial part of the bereavement process.

…Demographic factors In my data, I found that gender and one’s current religion were statistically-significantly associated with living-deceased perceived interactions. A greater proportion of females (51%) report meaningful living-deceased perceived interaction than do males (40%). (These findings are similar to those of CB [”continuing bonds”] studies and the most recent Pew survey on this topic.) My study also tapped transgender individuals; 57% reported living-deceased perceived interactions. However, because the transgender group constitutes such a small proportion of the overall sample (n = 21), we must review this finding with caution (χ² = 9.39, p = 0.025; Cramer’s V = 0.132, p = 0.025).6 The relationship between one’s current religion (if any) and living-deceased perceived interactions also proved statistically-significantly associated to living-deceased perceived interactions. The groups most likely to report such exchanges were Buddhists (79%), Latter Day Saints (75%), and other (including Odonists, Wiccans, and other spiritualist groups—70%). Muslims (60%) Catholics (59%), and Hindus (53%) followed. All of these religions hold some belief in an afterlife. Thus, for members of these religions, interacting with the deceased could be viewed as a viable possibility. Of the remaining groups, less than half reported living-deceased perceived interactions, with Protestants at 40% (similar to the percentage reported in the most recent Pew poll), Jews at 29% and “nones” at 25%. Because Jews and nones emphasize the here and now, the lack of living-deceased perceived interaction with the dead is not unexpected. But the low numbers of Protestants in this category is surprising because these groups maintain a belief in the afterlife. However, Protestants, unlike Catholics, discourage communication with the dead, referencing Old Testament warnings against it (eg. Staples2013; Williams2023). In sum, the majority of religions emphasizing some form of afterlife and the ability to rejoin loved ones beyond death are most likely to engage in living-deceased perceived interactions (χ² = 20.613, p = 0.008; Cramer’s V = 0.196, p = 0.008). However, because some religions constitute a small proportion of the overall sample, we must view this finding with caution. In my data, no other demographic characteristics—including age, level of education, marital status, race, or social class—proved statistically-significantly associated to living-deceased perceived interaction.

…The data also suggest something about the types of people who perceive living-deceased interaction. Females and transgender individuals and those involved in religions that recognize an afterlife are most likely to engage in such interactions. In addition, those who engaged in living-deceased perceived interactions were also most likely to report interactions with pets, spirits and deities, avatars, and computer office assistants. Thus, for some, the idea of interaction is broad and can involve many types of nonhuman entities.

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