"How Will We React to the Discovery of Extraterrestrial" Topic

… Life?

"How will humanity react to the discovery of extraterrestrial life? Speculation on this topic abounds, but empirical research is practically non-existent. We report the results of three empirical studies assessing psychological reactions to the discovery of extraterrestrial life using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) text analysis software. We examined language use in media coverage of past discovery announcements of this nature, with a focus on extraterrestrial microbial life (Pilot Study). A large online sample (N = 501) was asked to write about their own and humanity's reaction to a hypothetical announcement of such a discovery (Study 1), and an independent, large online sample (N = 256) was asked to read and respond to a newspaper story about the claim that fossilized extraterrestrial microbial life had been found in a meteorite of Martian origin (Study 2). Across these studies, we found that reactions were significantly more positive than negative, and more reward vs. risk oriented. A mini-meta-analysis revealed large overall effect sizes (positive vs. negative affect language: g = 0.98; reward vs. risk language: g = 0.81). We also found that people's forecasts of their own reactions showed a greater positivity bias than their forecasts of humanity's reactions (Study 1), and that responses to reading an actual announcement of the discovery of extraterrestrial microbial life showed a greater positivity bias than responses to reading an actual announcement of the creation of man-made synthetic life (Study 2). Taken together, this work suggests that our reactions to a future confirmed discovery of microbial extraterrestrial life are likely to be fairly positive…"

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Armand

I have to think that our reaction would depend almost entirely on the degree to which it seemed it would effect our daily lives.

Am I safe?
Will I meet one anytime soon?
Do I still have to go to work tomorrow?
Are we talking microbes or manshrooms?

If the answers suggest life will go on normally, then…

Will Carrot Top really be on the next season of Dancing with the Stars?
Honey, what's for dinner?

The nonsense in most fiction that mankind will collectively freak out has always been, in my opinion, just that, nonsense. Religion will go on as before, just widening the scope to include the alien life, and mankind will shrug and go back to their daily routine.

Humans generally don't react much to non immediate threats.

Now, if an alien fleet showed up over our heads threatening doom and gloom, then you'd get a reaction, but to most people, unless it affects their daily routine, they won't noticeably change much.

By the many UFO accounts, they're already here, but take no more notice of us than we do of squirrels in our yards.

It seems like they are mostly just passing thru, using earth as a way point only. One can imagine a hyperspace road sign nearby that reminds their travellers:

PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE HUMANS

I for one would like to welcome our new alien overlords.

What if we finally meet the aliens, and they are human?

My reaction would be, "Please get me the F off this planet"

Wolfhag

"To serve man"….

I second Tgerritsen's post. Also, if Aliens have the capacity/technology to travel space-time then they most certainly have the technology to remain hidden from us.

We will ask them where they stand on abortion, gay rights, gun control, transgenderism, race ect.

Even as a kid, I never understood the "mob of panicked civilians running through the streets screaming, crying, waving arms" motif that is in about every monster/sci-fi movie, ever…unless the zombies/Godzilla, little green men are literally hot on their tails.

+1 for Tgerritsen.

" I never understood the "mob of panicked civilians running through the streets screaming, crying, waving arms" motif that is in about every monster/sci-fi movie, ever…unless the zombies/Godzilla, little green men are literally hot on their tails. "

If you see that happening, that's when you hide very quietly, and let the panickers draw them off… ;-)

Thanks.

Armand

Ask them one question. What's up with the anal probe thing?

"What's up with the anal probe thing?"

Whaddya gonna do on a slow Glorbtheb night? Hey, Flemmert, go bag a human. We"ll rosin up the rumpinator. The glappis is in the fridge.

The one invention of humans the Gibzers admire is the refrigerator.

"How Will We React to the Discovery of Extraterrestrial"

Bu…but, they're already here!

;-)

I hope the ones we have been shooting down lately aren't just some alien kids riding around on their version of go-carts. Once their parents show up things could get dicey.

Ha!…

Armand

(fyi, that's Madonna on the lefthand side of the picture above. Or is it the righthand side…? ;-)

Kodos and Kang are already known.

Zephyr – one is just her without make-up. You decide which is which.

If we can abuse it we will, if it can abuse us we'll panic, otherwise we'll ignore it and hope it goes away.

"They're Heeeere … " …

I don't think many people are ready to accept that Aliens are real. And have been visiting Earth for a long time. At least there is a lot of evidence that points in that direction. So, I'm kind of going with it.

Even though we are supposed be more "enlightened, evolved", etc. than 1938. Remember what happened with Orsen Wells' retelling on the radio of "War of the Worlds". 👽🛸

"To serve man"….

BBQ'd Fried, etc. 🍖🥩

We will ask them where they stand on abortion, gay rights, gun control, transgenderism, race ect.

That will be the standard questions from many in the media, etc. Regardless many will still call them "racist" … 🙄 And if aliens only have one sex, or 3 sexes, etc. that will screw everything up !