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Why people tend to believe UFOs are extraterrestrial
Barry Markovsky, University of South Carolina
Most of us still call them UFOs – unidentified flying objects. NASA recently adopted the term “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAP. Either way, every few years popular claims resurface that these things are not of our world, or that the U.S. government has some stored away.
I’m a sociologist who focuses on the interplay between individuals and groups, especially concerning shared beliefs and misconceptions. As for why UFOs and their alleged occupants enthrall the public, I’ve found that normal human perceptual and social processes explain UFO buzz as much as anything up in the sky.
Historical context
Like political scandals and high-waisted jeans, UFOs trend in and out of collective awareness but never fully disappear. Thirty years of polling find that 25%-50% of surveyed Americans believe at least some UFOs are alien spacecraft. Today in the U.S., over 100 million adults think our galactic neighbors pay us visits.
It wasn’t always so. Linking objects in the sky with visiting extraterrestrials has risen in popularity only in the past 75 years. Some of this is probably market-driven. Early UFO stories boosted newspaper and magazine sales, and today they are reliable clickbait online.
In 1980, a popular book called “The Roswell Incident” by Charles Berlitz and William L. Moore described an alleged flying saucer crash and government cover-up 33 years prior near Roswell, New Mexico. The only evidence ever to emerge from this story was a small string of downed weather balloons. Nevertheless, the book coincided with a resurgence of interest in UFOs. From there, a steady stream of UFO-themed TV shows, films, and pseudo-documentaries has fueled public interest. Perhaps inevitably, conspiracy theories about government cover-ups have risen in parallel.
Some UFO cases inevitably remain unresolved. But despite the growing interest, multiple investigations have found no evidence that UFOs are of extraterrestrial origin – other than the occasional meteor or misidentification of Venus.
But the U.S. Navy’s 2017 Gimbal video continues to appear in the media. It shows strange objects filmed by fighter jets, often interpreted as evidence of alien spacecraft. And in June 2023, an otherwise credible Air Force veteran and former intelligence officer made the stunning claim that the U.S. government is storing numerous downed alien spacecraft and their dead occupants. https://www.youtube.com/embed/2TumprpOwHY?wmode=transparent&start=0 UFO videos released by the U.S. Navy, often taken as evidence of alien spaceships.
Human factors contributing to UFO beliefs
Only a small percentage of UFO believers are eyewitnesses. The rest base their opinions on eerie images and videos strewn across both social media and traditional mass media. There are astronomical and biological reasons to be skeptical of UFO claims. But less often discussed are the psychological and social factors that bring them to the popular forefront.
Many people would love to know whether or not we’re alone in the universe. But so far, the evidence on UFO origins is ambiguous at best. Being averse to ambiguity, people want answers. However, being highly motivated to find those answers can bias judgments. People are more likely to accept weak evidence or fall prey to optical illusions if they support preexisting beliefs.
For example, in the 2017 Navy video, the UFO appears as a cylindrical aircraft moving rapidly over the background, rotating and darting in a manner unlike any terrestrial machine. Science writer Mick West’s analysis challenged this interpretation using data displayed on the tracking screen and some basic geometry. He explained how the movements attributed to the blurry UFO are an illusion. They stem from the plane’s trajectory relative to the object, the quick adjustments of the belly-mounted camera, and misperceptions based on our tendency to assume cameras and backgrounds are stationary.
West found the UFO’s flight characteristics were more like a bird’s or a weather balloon’s than an acrobatic interstellar spacecraft. But the illusion is compelling, especially with the Navy’s still deeming the object unidentified.
West also addressed the former intelligence officer’s claim that the U.S. government possesses crashed UFOs and dead aliens. He emphasized caution, given the whistleblower’s only evidence was that people he trusted told him they’d seen the alien artifacts. West noted we’ve heard this sort of thing before, along with promises that the proof will soon be revealed. But it never comes.
Anyone, including pilots and intelligence officers, can be socially influenced to see things that aren’t there. Research shows that hearing from others who claim to have seen something extraordinary is enough to induce similar judgments. The effect is heightened when the influencers are numerous or higher in status. Even recognized experts aren’t immune from misjudging unfamiliar images obtained under unusual conditions.
Group factors contributing to UFO beliefs
“Pics or it didn’t happen” is a popular expression on social media. True to form, users are posting countless shaky images and videos of UFOs. Usually they’re nondescript lights in the sky captured on cellphone cameras. But they can go viral on social media and reach millions of users. With no higher authority or organization propelling the content, social scientists call this a bottom-up social diffusion process.
In contrast, top-down diffusion occurs when information emanates from centralized agents or organizations. In the case of UFOs, sources have included social institutions like the military, individuals with large public platforms like U.S. senators, and major media outlets like CBS.
Amateur organizations also promote active personal involvement for many thousands of members, the Mutual UFO Network being among the oldest and largest. But as Sharon A. Hill points out in her book “Scientifical Americans,” these groups apply questionable standards, spread misinformation and garner little respect within mainstream scientific communities.
Top-down and bottom-up diffusion processes can combine into self-reinforcing loops. Mass media spreads UFO content and piques worldwide interest in UFOs. More people aim their cameras at the skies, creating more opportunities to capture and share odd-looking content. Poorly documented UFO pics and videos spread on social media, leading media outlets to grab and republish the most intriguing. Whistleblowers emerge periodically, fanning the flames with claims of secret evidence.
Despite the hoopla, nothing ever comes of it.
For a scientist familiar with the issues, skepticism that UFOs carry alien beings is wholly separate from the prospect of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Scientists engaged in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence have a number of ongoing research projects designed to detect signs of extraterrestrial life. If intelligent life is out there, they’ll likely be the first to know.
As astronomer Carl Sagan wrote, “The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.”
Barry Markovsky, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of South Carolina
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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On December 1, 1948, a Kentucky Air National Guard pilot named Thomas Mantell was on a routine flight when he encountered an unidentified flying object (UFO) that would make him a part of UFO history. This incident is now known as the Mantell UFO Incident.
Mantell was flying an F-51 Mustang when he received a message from the tower that an object was spotted in the sky that was “about one-quarter the size of the full moon and of a white color.” Mantell was ordered to investigate the object, which was reported to be moving in a southward direction at a high rate of speed.
At first, Mantell thought the object was a weather balloon or some other type of aircraft. However, as he approached the object, he realized that it was not any type of aircraft that he had ever seen before. According to reports, Mantell described the object as being “metallic in appearance and of tremendous size.”
Mantell continued to pursue the object, climbing to an altitude of 22,500 feet. He reported that the object was moving at a high rate of speed and was still climbing. Mantell’s last transmission to the tower was that he was closing in on the object and that it was “directly ahead and above him.”
Moments later, Mantell’s plane crashed, killing him instantly. The official cause of the crash was listed as “pilot error.” The incident immediately became a subject of controversy and speculation among UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike.
The incident was investigated by the United States Air Force, which later released a report stating that the object was most likely a weather balloon. However, many UFO enthusiasts have remained skeptical of this explanation, citing the speed and altitude of the object as being inconsistent with a weather balloon. They argue that the maneuverability and velocity observed during the sighting are beyond the capabilities of conventional weather balloons, which are generally slow-moving and unable to achieve high altitudes and rapid directional changes reported in the Mantell UFO Incident. Additionally, some witnesses described the object as being metallic and appearing to have a purposeful navigation system, further fueling speculation that it was not a simple weather device.
Despite the official explanation, the Mantell UFO Incident remains one of the most well-known and debated UFO sightings in history. The incident continues to capture the imagination of UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike, and has become a part of UFO lore and legend. Researchers and investigators often revisit the Mantell case in documentaries, books, and articles, attempting to provide new insights or uncover additional evidence that may have been overlooked. The enduring interest in the Mantell UFO Incident also highlights the broader fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the quest to explain unidentified aerial phenomena. This continued intrigue ensures that the Mantell UFO Incident remains a topic of discussion and speculation for years to come.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantell_UFO_incident
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In a remarkable turn of events, recently released documents have confirmed the recovery of debris from a UFO that was shot down by a U.S. F-16 fighter jet over Lake Huron on February 12, 2023. This incident marked the third notable UFO occurrence in North America within that month, following a high-profile engagement involving a Chinese surveillance balloon just days earlier.
The octagon-shaped object, which had strings dangling from it, raised eyebrows when U.S. military forces targeted it. The F-16 pilot fired at the unidentified flying object twice, successfully striking it with one missile before it plummeted into Canadian waters. The incident sparked immediate attention from both American and Canadian authorities.
According to a Freedom of Information request filed by CTVNews.ca, the wreckage was located on the shoreline of Lake Huron, yet this significant discovery went largely unreported to the public at the time. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), alongside the American and Canadian Coast Guard, initiated a brief search for the debris. However, they concluded their efforts prematurely, citing deteriorating weather conditions and a low likelihood of recovery as the main factors.
In March 2023, the RCMP managed to recover the UFO wreckage from its crash site. In communications obtained through the documents, a member of the RCMP informed a Canadian military general that the module was traced back to a company specializing in weather monitoring equipment, shedding light on the mysterious object.
The series of UFO incidents in February 2023 has piqued the interest of lawmakers and the public alike, especially in light of the U.S. military’s actions against the Chinese surveillance balloon. The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has held multiple hearings on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), with the latest session occurring on November 13, 2023. Experts like Michael Gold, a former NASA leader and member of the independent UAP study team, emphasized the importance of courage in seeking the truth about such phenomena.
As the conversation surrounding UAPs continues to evolve, the recovery of debris from Lake Huron serves as a reminder of the ongoing mystery and intrigue that surrounds unidentified objects in our skies. The implications of these incidents extend beyond mere curiosity, potentially impacting national security and public perception of aerial phenomena. Stay tuned for further developments as authorities continue to unravel the truth behind these intriguing occurrences.
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Project U.F.O.: A 1970s UFO Phenomenon
Project U.F.O. was a 1978-1979 NBC series about U.S. Air Force investigators examining UFO sightings, inspired by Project Blue Book. Created by Jack Webb, it ran for two seasons.
A Show About UFOs
Project U.F.O. was an American television series that aired on NBC from 1978 to 1979. The show ran for two seasons, with 13 episodes in each season, and was based loosely on the real-life Project Blue Book. The show was created by Jack Webb, who pored through Air Force files looking for episode ideas.
The show was a production of Mark VII Limited in association with Worldvision Enterprises, now CBS Television Distribution, and was Webb’s last weekly series produced before his death. It was also one of the rare times that Webb did not produce a series with Universal Television or Warner Bros. Television, with whom he had collaborated on every series he made following his departure from Warner Bros.
Project U.F.O. features two U.S. Air Force investigators with the Foreign Technology Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, charged with investigating UFO sightings. The first season starred William Jordan as Maj. Jake Gatlin alongside Caskey Swaim as Staff Sgt. Harry Fitz. Swaim, who had never had any significant acting experience before landing the role, added diversity as a Southerner with a pronounced accent. In season two, Jordan was replaced by Edward Winter as Capt. Ben Ryan.
In the pilot episode, Gatlin informed the newly assigned Fitz that their job was to prove that each UFO sighting was real by researching and disproving possible alternate explanations. Gatlin also told Fitz that he himself had once seen “something I can’t explain” while flying as an Air Force pilot, which led to his interest in Blue Book.
Project U.F.O. was an intriguing show that explored the mysteries of UFOs and alien sightings. The show’s attention to detail and realism, combined with its intriguing storylines, made it a hit with audiences. The show was also notable for its use of real-life Air Force files and reports, which added to the show’s authenticity.
Project U.F.O. was a groundbreaking television series that explored the mysteries of UFO sightings. The show’s attention to detail, realism, and intriguing storylines made it a hit with audiences, and it remains a classic of the science fiction genre.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_U.F.O.
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