Neurodivergent people and UFOs or the Paranormal

I am neurodivergent, I believe in UFOs and cryptids, the paranormal, all sorts. Am I just gullible? Do I just want to believe because I love sci-if and fantasy? I want to look at reasons that I may not be a fantasist.

1. Pattern recognition
2. Open-mindedness
3. Questioning Authority or the Norm
4. Hyper focus/ Special Interests

Autistic people often show an increased awareness of patterns, i.e. they have strong pattern recognition which could lead to them seeing connections that neurotypical people may not notice. Although they may be more open to unconventional views or phenomena, they may still engage in critical thinking and logic to help them to decide what they believe.

ADHDers may like the idea of the existence of UFOs or the paranormal, because it plays to their novelty seeking leaving them open to unusual concepts.

Neurodivergent people may challenge authority and as the governments of the world tend to lean towards dismissal of the existence of alien life that is visiting our planet, this could create a reason to think the opposite may be true. Social norms are less likely to sway the opinions of neurodivergent people and they may be more likely to question the official narratives.

It can be argued that it is not that we are gullible, that we are more inclined to explore fringe theories, but because we are ‘othered’ and so do not experience ‘typical’ social thinking, we may be more likely to entertain unusual ideas.

Autism and ADHD generally go hand in hand with special interests and hyper focus. UFOs, space or alien life could be the target of this interest, making them inclined to go down the alien rabbit hole. Believe me when I say there is plenty of evidence that has convinced me! The US congressional inquiries into things like the ‘tictac’ for example was highly compelling. I enjoy watching a body language expert discussing the people giving evidence. Even if you aren’t convinced there are so many books, TV shows, conventions and YouTube channels on the subject, you will never run out of things to investigate.

There is no research into this, unfortunately, and you need to bear in mind that Autistic people do need logical consistency and evidence, so maybe it is just me. ADHDers may be more impulsive or curious, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to a belief.

In conclusion thinking ‘outside the box’ may mean we may be happy to investigate all sorts of phenomena with an open mind, but a lack of real evidence may equally lead to skepticism.

Maybe it is just me then…