Video of 'Haunted' Swing Could Have Simple Explanation

The purportedly haunted swing. (Image credit: Manoranjan Bhadauria/YouTube)

A video of a purportedly haunted swing has caused confusion and fear among internet viewers, according to a recent article in The Indian Express.

The video, which shows a playground swing moving due to some ostensibly supernatural force, has been claimed to be from various places in India, but no definite location has been confirmed; although the person filming is speaking Hindi.

Similar videos have emerged out of social media over the past decade or more, and an often-used explanation in the scientific community for the supposedly paranormal events is a natural phenomenon known as 'mechanical resonance.'

Mechanical resonance is the term used to describe the tendency of a mechanical system to respond with a seemingly exaggerated motion when its movement back and forth matches its natural frequency of vibration--something that can be set in motion by relatively mild winds.

It has been speculated that the hollow structure of swing sets make them especially vulnerable to this phenomenon.

As the leaves in the foreground are clearly moving in the wind, mechanical resonance has become an increasingly popular theory to explain the video--others include a wind vortex, or even a deliberate hoax using fishing wire.  

No witness has yet come forward with a supernatural explanation, and it is unknown if the location has any history of being haunted.