In an infinite universe filled with trillions of stars, the likelihood that we are alone is about is quite probable. And yet, despite the rather sobering fact that interstellar travel would require an energy source roughly equivalent to the combined mass of Jupiter, humanity continues to report encounters with mysterious flying objects: now officially known as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). 

This raises an intriguing question: are we actually being visited, or is something far more interesting happening in our own heads ?

A Brief History of Contact:

World Contact Day was established in 1953 by the International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB). The idea behind IFSB was that through the power of collective thought, aliens would get the memo and finally drop in for a chat. Needless to say, this has yet to work, but World Contact Day has become an annual excuse for enthusiasts to speculate wildly about what our first interaction with an alien species might actually look like.

The Pentagon’s Latest Report:

US Representative Andy Ogles summed up the public’s frustration when he asked: “Is it ours, is it someone else’s, or is it otherworldly?” The fact that we still don’t have an answer suggests that, if nothing else, the human appetite for mystery remains as insatiable as ever.

In 2023, the Pentagon released a new report on UAPs, revealing hundreds of fresh cases—but, crucially, no proof of extraterrestrial origins. Many of the sightings were attributed to misidentified objects such as balloons, birds, and satellites, though some cases defied simple explanation. Perhaps the most intriguing was an account of a commercial airliner’s close encounter with an unidentified object near the New York coast: an incident that while not proving alien life, at least suggests that there’s still something strange happening in our skies.

One theory suggests that UFO sightings tend to spike during times of war and political turmoil. It’s as if, just when humanity is about to plunge itself into yet another self-inflicted catastrophe, people start seeing inexplicable objects in the sky. Could it be that some higher intelligence is nudging us away from our worst impulses by waving a shiny interstellar object in our collective faces? Mumbai-based psychiatrist Dr. Alpes Panchal has a more realistic question: “Could it be that the chaos of war creates the kind of psychological environment where people are more likely to perceive and interpret ambiguous stimuli as something extraordinary?”

Dr. Panchal also points out that the cultural lens through which we interpret strange experiences plays a major role in how they are perceived.

“In the West, seeing a UFO is not necessarily indicative of mental illness. But in India, an identical claim might be met with serious psychiatric scrutiny. Conversely, belief in black magic is far more accepted in India, while it would likely be dismissed as superstition in Western scientific circles. This suggests that our brains are not just processing experiences but also filtering them through a cultural framework that determines what is socially acceptable and what is considered delusional,” says Dr. Panchal.

Fantasy Proneness:

A study by Prof. Kathryn Gow from Queensland University of Technology in Australia found that people who report alien encounters tend to score higher in measures of fantasy proneness. Now, fantasy proneness is a psychological trait associated with a vivid imagination, frequent daydreaming, and a tendency to blur the lines between imagination and reality.

This does not mean, as skeptics might eagerly claim, that all UFO reporters are making things up. Rather, it suggests that certain individuals may be more naturally inclined to perceive patterns, assign meaning to ambiguous experiences, and remain open to possibilities others might dismiss outright. The human brain is, after all, a creative machine, capable of turning a shadow on the wall into a ghost, a misidentified weather balloon into an alien craft, and a bureaucratic mistake into an intergalactic cover-up.

Are UFO Believers Just More Open-Minded?

Another correlation is between alien encounters and the Big Five personality trait of openness. (those more willing to entertain unconventional ideas) are also more likely to accept the possibility that a glowing, fast-moving object in the sky is not just a high-altitude goose, but rather an intelligent spacecraft maneuvering in ways that defy our current understanding of physics. Openness doesn’t just make people more likely to accept the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors: it makes them less likely to dismiss an experience as mundane.

Perhaps UFO sightings endure because they tap into something deeper than curiosity. They offer hope that we are not alone. Dr. Alpes Panchal says, “The idea of extraterrestrials fits neatly into the saviour prophecy: an external force arriving to rescue us from our own messes.”

Maybe that’s the real reason we keep looking up. Not because we have proof, but because in all the uncertainty, the possibility that something bigger than us is out there. So, whether you’re a believer or just someone who likes a good conspiracy theory, take a moment this World Contact Day to gaze at the night sky.

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