Everyone in every culture has their own beliefs concerning the afterlife.  Some flat out refuse to believe while other cultures accept it with open arms and in some cases honor spirits of the dead. None of these beliefs are wrong, but there are some common misunderstandings with people who believe in ghosts, here are just a few.

(1) All ghosts are evil.  This is becoming less common as people are starting to realize that most spirits they see are not hurting them in any way.  This theory may have come about because people feared the afterlife, it startled them and scared them to see and hear things they weren't expecting.  They connected fear with evil because why would something good scare them. In reality, it is rare to come across an evil spirit.  Usually ghosts do not mean to scare anyone.  They just want someone to notice them.

(2) Ouija boards are a great connection to the afterlife. The common misconception about this is without proper training from a medium or a psychic you could be sending out an open invitation to the spirit world and you don't know what may answer.

(3) Seances are a great way to contact loved ones who have passed on.  Again you are asking for trouble without the proper training or assistance of a psychic or medium .  You are asking spirits to come into your home and prove themselves to you.  Again you never know who or what may answer.

(4) Reading, studying, and believing in spirits will make my home haunted.  Learning about the supernatural might make you more open and sensitive to ghosts that were always around but it doesn't attract them.  It just opens
up a part of your mind that you have inadvertently had closed off.  It opens it to accept the things that you may have ignored or refused in the past.

(5) Only old houses or houses that have seen death can be haunted. People, places, items and areas can all attract spirits.  If a  person loved something in life they can come back to it in death.

(6)A house isn't haunted if I can't see a ghost.  Some people believe that ghosts are all around us and it is up to them to make themselves known.  This can be in several different ways such as noises, smells, items
disappearing or moving on their own accord and apparitions, one or a combination of many may occur with a haunting.

These are a few of the common misunderstandings of ghosts and hauntings.  I am sure there are several more. One thing to remember always is to check out any and all natural causes before jumping to supernatural ones. These
are just a few of my thoughts and ideas, as always I welcome yours!