What leads people to believe they have been abducted by aliens?

By guest blogger Emma L. Barratt Alien abduction stories are, at least in the West, relatively common. From as far back as the early 60s, there have been reports of people being stolen away by aliens — typically at night — often for various physics-defying experiments, before being returned home in one piece. And while stories like these might strike some as delusions that would typically arise from certain mental health issues, studies have found that abductees are no more likely than anyone else to have conditions affecting their perception of reality. Thanks to psychological research over the past few decades, however, we can probably conclude that these alien mis-adventures arise due to two entirely more mundane phenomena: sleep paralysis, and false memories. Researchers have long noted the similarities between accounts of alien abduction and the relatively lesser-known phenomenon of sleep paralysis — a common condition in which the cognitive and physiological components of REM sleep become desynchronised. Those who experience sleep paralysis are essentially awake, but unable to move for a period of seconds to minutes, often reporting a rather specific set of hallucinations during their time immobile. These include flashing lights, buzzing, electrical tingling sensations, feelings of levitation, and — most unnervingly — visual hallucinations of figures hovering near their bed. If one were to imagine these sensations and perceptions all togeth...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Memory Source Type: blogs