Have you ever wondered why some people believe in things, such as the Ohio grass man, while others simply think that it is a hoax? The answer may very well lie in the complexities between human psychology and our perceptions. In this article, we are going to take a deep dive into the fascinating world of crypto zoology research and explore the mysterious forces that shape our belief systems on topics, such as the Ohio Grassman.

Answer:

Some of the biggest psychological factors that are at play when people believe in cryptid creatures are confirmation bias, availability heuristic, illusory correlation, emotional reasoning, cultural conditioning, misattribution, motivated reasoning, pareidolia, sensory overload, and social influence.

Many crypto, zoology, enthusiasts have been enthralled with exploring the dark forests that span across Ohio for the legendary and mysterious Cryptid creature known as the Ohio grass man. This, so-called grass man, is elusive to say the least. That is to say that if this creature is real, it has not yet been found in solidified scientific evidence. The use of footprint, tracking, and eyewitness accounts has been some of the most widely used tools within the researchers Arsenal for tracking down this Cryptid creature.

During our research and analysis of eyewitness accounts and collected footprints, we have also had the distinct opportunity to examine the role in which human perception and psychology has within the study of crypto zoology. As we look further into the Ohio Grassman, we will also be observing, and exploring the ways in which cognitive biases, cultural conditioning, and many other psychological factors are able to influence your interpretations on mysterious sightings of all kinds. Taking a deeper look into the specific Ohio Grassman legend, we are able to draw upon unique and valuable accounts in order to better understand the nuances in which our minds are able to shape stories.

By reading this entire article you will uncover the psychological and cultural influences, that heavily impact your understanding of Cryptids, like the Ohio Grassman. This article will challenge your assumptions, shedding new light on the appeal of these mysterious creatures.

Before we delve into the specific psychological factors at play, we need to first understand what the Ohio Grassman is, and some of the stories surrounding it. The Ohio Grassman is also known as the Ohio Bigfoot. This creature is said to live in the forest and grasslands of Ohio, and is prominent in folklore and legends throughout the region., and is prominent in folklore and legends throughout the region. If you are, at all, familiar with the big foot; this creature is said to be incredibly similar in stature and appearance. It is described as a bipedal hominoid standing around 7 to 8 feet tall and weighing around 500 pounds. The creature is also said to have orange glowing eyes.

Believers of this particular, Cryptid do not believe that it is simply a Sasquatch or Bigfoot. However, they do believe that it is a close relative of the aforementioned, mysterious creature.

Most of these sightings of the Ohio Grassman have come from Salt Fork State Park over the last 150 years. This is an area spanning over 17,000 acres and is known for its scenic beauty as well as its diverse wildlife. Not only that, but it is famous for its numerous bigfoot enthusiasts making this a mainstay for camping and a sort of base camp in their search for the Ohio Grassman.

The very first recorded sighting of the Ohio Grassman happened in the late 1800s. A group of hunters reported that they had seen a large hairy creature near them in the woods. From then on there have been hundreds of sightings of the Ohio Grassman. One of the most famous accounts came from a family in 1978 reporting to have seen a large hairy creature outside of their tent. Each person within the family cooperated the others stories and stated that the creature was over 7 feet tall, and had a particularly foul smell. They also claimed to have heard disturbing and guttural sounds coming from this supposed Cryptid.

While many crypto zoologist and Bigfoot enthusiasts find great use in these sightings and reports, skeptics and scientific researchers, believe that the Ohio Grassman may be a currently undiscovered species of primate. Some of the other skeptics believe that it is actually a miss identified bear, or possibly even another large hairy animal of similar size and shape. The thought process behind this is that a bear, standing up on his hind legs, is around this height, and may appear to be bipedal in nature.

All of this is to say that there has been no tangible evidence of this creature’s existence in a scientific sense. While there have been many sightings and recordings, as well as attempts to capture photographic evidence of the Ohio Grassman, not even so much as a simple picture has been able to be provided. Yet, the Ohio Grassman continues to elicit responses of imagination and emotion from the people within Ohio and America alike.

The Psychology and Perception:

Now that you know, a little bit more about the Ohio Grassman, and some of the stories behind it, we will look into some of the psychological aspects of people that may or may not believe in this Cryptid. It is crucial to consider the psychological factors that might contribute to the belief in these mysterious stories and supposed creatures. In the next sections below, we will visit some of the biases, conditionings, and other psychological phenomenon that can impact your perception and beliefs about topics of the unknown.

This is going to be a sort of top down processing on the perception process and sensory input as it pertains to the Ohio Grassman. Let’s take a look at some of the biases and cognitive phenomena that could very well be at play.

Confirmation Bias:

This is a bias in which you may find yourself interpreting information in such a way that will confirm your pre-existing beliefs. This is to say that if you already are a believer of Sasquatch or Bigfoot, and you are camping within the forests or grasslands of Ohio; you are more likely to report a sighting of the Ohio Grassman rather than it simply being a bear.

Not only can your sighting be of the Ohio Grassman, rather than a bear standing on its hind legs, but you are also more likely to listen to, and believe, accounts and sightings that support your particular beliefs. At the same time, you will disregard any evidence that goes against your preconceived notions. This is what confirmation bias can do with your belief of this creature and others like it.

 Availability Heuristic:

The easier something is to be remembered the more likely the average person is to believe that story or event. In example, if certain sightings have been widely publicized, or have become a part of popular culture, these stories may find themselves validated in a biased manner by the average person. Even if the stories of the event are not backed up by scientific evidence, many of these reports and sightings will still draw in a large following.

So, if you think about whether or not you believe in Bigfoot, aliens, or any other mysterious being; you should do some self-analysis to see if you are being influenced by the widespread reports and/or availability to recall the information.

Illusory Correlation:

If you believe in a correlation between two variables that does not exist, it can lead to you drawing an equally false conclusion about the existence of the cryptid. So, if you believe that the different phases of the moon, or the alignment of the planets plays a role in the likelihood that you will be able to see the creature or not, this will further your personal belief system of the cryptid being real rather than staying objective and analytical about it.

This may not be the direct, and initial, cause of your belief for the cryptid itself. However, it will dig your psychology deeper into believing blindly rather than allowing yourself the freedom to be perfectly objective in your reasoning and approach.

Emotional Reasoning:

Oh lord, this is a big one. You are a human, and this is innately a human trait. We are emotional creatures, but this can easily lead you to fully believing in something that is not a reality if you don’t be careful. If emotions take over, you can let them cloud your judgment and interfere with your ability to make objective observations.

In order to better explain this, we can use an example. A person that had a close encounter with a scary creature in the woods at night may make the correlation with the Ohio Grassman in order to make sense of the encounter and provide some form of control over the situation. The level of fear experienced during this event may have provided the person with a sense of the extraordinary.

Cultural Conditioning:

Cultural beliefs and values are some of the biggest influencers on people’s perceptions. For this reason, if you come from a cultural background of people that believe in supernatural entities, you are far more likely to believe in cryptid creatures such as the Ohio Grassman. If you come from a culture in which topics such as cryptid creatures and supernatural entities are seen as fictional, you will be far less likely to be believe in creatures such as this.

Misattribution:

This explanation of psychological phenomena is one of the more widely seen reasons that humans believe in aspects of cryptozoology and the supernatural. Attributing mysterious events to a supernatural cause, rather than a more mundane one, is one widely used way to provide excitement and interest into an individuals life. This is not often done at the forefront of the persons mind, but rather in the subconscious portions of the thought process. This means that if you fall into this category of thinking, you most likely aren’t even fully aware that you are doing it.

An example of this would be if you were out camping in the woods of Ohio and you heard a loud noise outside of your tent. Instead of attributing the sound to the true source, a fallen tree branch, you decide to believe that it was the Ohio Grassman.

Motivated Reasoning:

This is one of the few psychological aspects in this article that are done with the full knowledge of the person it is happening to. The person that is using motivated reasoning to make the correlations is often driven by monetary gain, or some other sort of tangible reward. They have a goal in mind, and the stories if the supernatural is a tool in which they aim to use to get there.

For example, if you wish to get rich and famous, you may choose to write a book on your “true” encounters with the Ohio Grassman in order to appeal to audiences and make money.

Pareidolia:

Pareidolia is why we see the “man on the moon” and faces on mars. This is simply the human condition making something out of nothing and reaching for straws in order to create order out of disorder. This is your brains way of finding patterns in the nonsensical chaos, and it can often lead you to thinking you have seen something that you have not actually seen.

Specifically for the Ohio Grassman, this could be seeing a figure when it is just a shadow, tent, tree, or something else. These natural or man-made features are often mistaken in our environment as sightings of cryptid creatures when, in fact, there is nothing there.

Sensory Overload:

If you are overly excited or fearful and bombarded with sensory stimuli, you will often over exaggerate or completely misinterpret information from an event. Memory is much less accurate under these times of heightened stress due to several key elements of the bodies physiology and psychological mechanisms put in place to keep us alive during that moment.

For example, if you are lost in the woods and hear the sound of a large creature running towards your direction, once you escape you may attribute this to being the Ohio Grassman. In reality, it was just a dear or a large gust of wind that you misinterpreted due to your heightened stress levels and adrenaline.

Social Influence:

Peer pressure and group dynamics can play a massive role in how you see, remember, and divulge information about certain events and occurrences. To explain this better, imagine that your family and/or friends believes in the Ohio Grassman. If they believe in the Grassman, you are much more likely than the average person to fully believe in this cryptid creature as well.

Make sure to watch out for this one and not let it get the better of you. It will get us all if we let it.

Recap & Summary:

Now you know a little bit more about the Ohio Grassman, and specifically a great deal more about why people believe in cryptid creatures such as this. While there surely are some cryptid creatures in the world that are real and living, there simply are too many non-reliable sources to sift through to find very many credible sources for them. This waters down the field, which in turn makes our chances of finding any credible data set to analyze seemingly impossible for the near future. With the spread of information on these psychological factors, maybe we can one day find a higher percentage of legitimate sightings and reports in order to find one of these mysterious creatures.

Until then, I hope you enjoyed this article and all of the information inside of it. If you did, there are many more just like this on our website right here in the Cryptids Section.

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this article! : )