Why are only the thickest Americans 'abducted'?

[jim_990]

Main Question or Discussion Point

And why not abduct thick foreigners instead?

 

[PIT2]

Thick foreigners dont exist.

 

[hypatia]

maybe they like our sweet minty fresh breath?{jk} :tongue:

Are you useing thick as in hard headed...or fat waisted?

 

[NewScientist]

You dont get it - they aren't stupid BEFORE they're abducted, the experiments performed MAKE them stupid...derrr!

 

[PIT2]

Does anyone see the flaw in the conclusion of this research?

Some researchers at Harvard University devised an experiment to determine if memories of an abduction by space aliens would provoke the same physiological reactions that occur when other people, such as combat veterans and those who survive deadly car accidents, recall their traumatic experiences.

When the two sets of measurements were compared, the results were striking. Abductees showed surprisingly strong physiological reactions to the tapes of their alien encounters. Their reactions were as great or greater than those of individuals who cannot shake memories of combat, sexual abuse, and other punishing events.

Conclusion:
"The results underscore the power of emotional belief," he noted. "People who sincerely believe they have been abducted by aliens show patterns of emotional and physiological response to these 'memories' that are strikingly similar to those of people who have been genuinely traumatized by combat or similar events."

http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/02.20/01-alien.html [Broken]

 

[Pengwuino]

And why not abduct thick foreigners instead?

Who says they aren't. Hell only the stupidest newspapers print reports of alien abductions so the chances a news organization that is read around hte world is going to print an alien abduction is almost zero.

 

[Huckleberry]

Abductees showed surprisingly strong physiological reactions to the tapes of their alien encounters.

The aliens give them the tapes, or do abductees bring their own recording devices just incase they happen to be abducted that day?

I don't think alien abductees are thick, either below normal intelligence or large waisted. I think social stigma makes it easier for society to view them that way. If we don't believe in aliens then we don't believe a person is telling the truth. And if it seems they believe they are telling the truth then they must be stupid. People tend to form their beliefs around what makes them comfortable. None of this affects whether aliens exist or not to abduct people from Earth and perform experiments on them.

And not only unintelligent people report alien sightings and abductions. Pilots and astronauts and presidents have reported them. They can be seen is artwork from hundreds of years ago. Where does this notion that only fools are abducted come from?

 

[pattylou]

Does anyone see the flaw in the conclusion of this research?

One flaw is that being abducted by alines *could* be even scarier than being in a war zone. Controls?

Another flaw (and probably the one you are looking for) is that "abductees" are likely to be people with high emotional reactivity (and a strange view of reality) to begin with.

 

[zoobyshoe]

A person can be completely traumatized by words alone, and information in general, even if the words and information aren't true. So long as it's upsetting, and they believe it it can traumatize them.

I has a girlfriend in college who got a very minor injury to her leg in a car accident. Somehow the news got to her father in a garbled form and he feared she was badly injured. It was over a day before he could get to where she was in the hospital and before he found out how mild it was the stress and worry literally caused all his hair to fall out. It never grew back either.

If you believe you've been abducted by aliens it is completely natural that you should have post traumatic stress symptoms as real as those from anything else.

 

[PIT2]

Hair falling out isnt a symptom of post traumatic stress disorder.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Hair falling out isnt a symptom of post traumatic stress disorder.

In his case I would give a diagnosis of shock.

Post traumatic stress syndrome develops over years.

The point is that people are greatly affected by anything distressful that they believe is true.

 

[PIT2]

The point i was making was that the conclusion of the research is flawed.

I wouldnt be surprised one bit if PTSD could be caused purely by emotional belief. It appears though as if this experiment involving alien abductees is the first time such a link has been demonstrated(according to the flawed conclusion).

Do u happen to have any links that indicate that PTSD can indeed by caused purely by emotional belief? Theoretically it sounds plausible, but i wonder if it actually happens in real.

 

[Phobos]

I assume the OP was joking, but it begs the question. Are there any studies of the intelligence or nationality of people who claim to be abducted?

 

[pattylou]

I believe the beliefs are more common in some geographical areas than others (Wisconsin was high on the list when I lived there.)

THis may be because sky-phenomena (aurora borealis etc) may be more common in some areas than others.

Don't know about links with intelligence.

 

[arildno]

Perhaps the lipo-angle has more promise in it?

 

[loseyourname]

Does anyone see the flaw in the conclusion of this research?

Well, that one is obvious. They're assuming from the start that alien abduction claims are false and that the distress is purely the result of belief and not anything that actually happened.

A better study, if you want to determine whether or not PTSS can result from nothing other than emotional distress, you should look at cases where the memories of the victims are known for certain to be false.

 

[zoobyshoe]

A better study, if you want to determine whether or not PTSS can result from nothing other than emotional distress, you should look at cases where the memories of the victims are known for certain to be false.

This is the sort of thing I was thinking of. A few years back there was a spate of reports of people "recovering" burried memories of having been abducted by satanic cults and forced to participate in baby-killing rituals. No one, apparently, could ever find any evidence to indicate such a cult existed, and the stories proved to be the result of leading questions by the people conducting the hypnosis sessions. Once the people were lead to create these scenarios, they believed them and were traumatized by them.

 

[loseyourname]

This is the sort of thing I was thinking of. A few years back there was a spate of reports of people "recovering" burried memories of having been abducted by satanic cults and forced to participate in baby-killing rituals. No one, apparently, could ever find any evidence to indicate such a cult existed, and the stories proved to be the result of leading questions by the people conducting the hypnosis sessions. Once the people were lead to create these scenarios, they believed them and were traumatized by them.

That interesting. From what little I know of PTSS, I was under the impression that you only qualified if you exhibited symptoms regardless of whether or not you remembered anything.

 

[zoobyshoe]

That interesting. From what little I know of PTSS, I was under the impression that you only qualified if you exhibited symptoms regardless of whether or not you remembered anything.

I'm not talking about any sort of official diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress here. Just whether or not something has to be true to be traumatized by it.

 

[SGT]

I think alien abductions are a typically american phenomenon. In my country there are numerous reports of sightings and New Agers claim there are sites here whose "energy" attracts UFOs, but I have never seen a news of alien abduction.
In my opinion, this happens because therapists here don't implant in their patients false memories of alien abductions as do American therapists.
And I believe a false memory can be as stressful as a real one.

 

[PIT2]

I live in Holland and we have abductees here.
I also know of abduction cases in England, Germany, France, Australia and South America. In abduction literature there is also mention of abductees in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Asia and Indonesia.

It appears to be a global phenomenom, but USA seems to have the most abductees.