根据美国《国家地理》杂志2012年一项调查，77%的美国人相信外星人造访过地球。而英国舆论调查公司2015年一项调查显示，30%的美国人相信政府隐瞒了外星人造访的证据。一个英国脱口秀节目2014年一项调查发现，每25个受访者中就有一个相信他们曾被外星人绑架。
Agents Mulder and Scully may have said 'the truth is out there' in the X Files, but it may instead be buried inside the brains of people who claim they have been abducted by aliens. 《X-档案》里的特工穆德和史考莉可能说过“真相就在那里”，但对那些声称自己被外星人绑架过的人来说，真相可能深藏在他们的大脑里。
Those who believe they have had a close encounter of the so-called 'fourth kind' may suffer from false memories or sleep paralysis, a psychologist has claimed. 心理学家称，那些相信自己与所谓的“外星生物”有过亲密接触的人可能患有虚假记忆或睡眠麻痹。
A rare form of the condition, which can involve hallucinations or the feeling of being dragged out of bed, may explain 'alien abductions' that people sincerely believe happened but can't remember. 非常少见的表现形式可能包括幻觉或感觉被从床上拉下来，这可以解释“外星人绑架”现象，对此人们深信发生过却无法记住。
Writing for The Psychologist, Christopher C French, of Goldsmiths, the University of London, who specializes in the psychology of paranormal belief and experiences, said there are plausible explanations for why people 'see' flying saucers and think they have been abducted.Christopher C French是《心理学家》杂志的作家，他来自伦敦大学金史密斯学院，专攻超自然信念和经历心理学。对于人们为什么会看到飞碟并认为自己被绑架，他表示有合理的解释。
He noted that most of the people making these claims are clinically sane, but their belief in life in outer space may influence what they see or feel in strange situations. 他指出，大多数声称遇到外星人的人通过临床诊断来看是理智的，但他们相信外太空存在生命，这可能会影响他们在陌生情境中所看到或感到的东西。
（实习生朱善美 编辑：Julie）
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