Do you have memories of being abducted¹ by aliens and whisked away in a spaceship?You wouldn't be alone. Several thousand people worldwide claim to have had such close encounters, researchers say. But in a new study, a psychology² expert at London's Goldsmiths College says these experiences are proof of the frailty³ of the human memory, rather than evidence of life in other galaxies⁴.

"Maybe what we're dealing⁵ with here is false memories, and not that people are actually being abducted and taken aboard spaceships," says Professor Chris French, who surveyed 19 self-proclaimed alien abductees.

Several of the abductees reported being snatched from their beds or cars by alien creatures around four feet high, with spindly arms and legs and oversized heads, French said.

Some men said they were subjected to painful medical examinations by the aliens, during which their sperm⁶ was extracted.

Many of the alien experiences could be explained by sleep paralysis⁷, a condition in which a person is awake and aware of the surroundings but is unable to move.

Sleep paralysis often leads to hallucinations and 40 percent of people experience the state at least once in their lives, French said.

A rich imagination was also at play. Several of the alien abductees were already prone⁸ to fantasising and also claimed to have seen ghosts and have psychic⁹ or healing abilities.

"People have very rich fantasy lives," said French, who is due to present his findings at a public seminar at London's Science Museum on Wednesday.

"So much so that they often mix up what's happening in their heads with what is going on in the real world." 

　　中文：

　　你是否记得自己曾经被外星人绑架并被迅速转移到了一艘宇宙飞船上？如果答案是肯定的话，那你也大可不必为此而感到惊讶。英国专家近日表示，声称自己见过外星人的人可能是那些人的记忆系统出了某些问题而已。

　　据路透社10月26日报道，在全世界，有多达数千人声称自己曾与外星人有过此类亲密接触。但在最新公布的一项研究成果中，一位来自英国伦敦戈德史密斯学院的专家表示，这些所谓的奇特经历根本不能成为其它星系具有生命存在的有力证据，只能证明那些人的记忆系统出了某些问题而已。

　　克里斯·弗兰奇教授说：“也许我们在这里需要面对的是来自记忆方面的种种问题，而不是有人真的被外星人绑架并被送上了宇宙飞船。”弗兰奇先后对19宗声称被外星人绑架的案例进行了调查。

　　弗兰奇表示，有几位被绑架者表示，自己是在家中的床上或汽车里被外星生物带走的，而那些外星人的身高约为4英尺，四肢修长且头部显得硕大无比。还有些人则宣称外星人曾在他们身上进行过充满痛苦的医学实验，在此过程中，外星人还专门提取了他们的精液。

　　很多与外星人有关的经历都可以用睡眠性麻痹来解释，这种症状指的是一个人处于清醒的状态且完全了解四周的情况，但却无法动弹。按照弗兰奇的说法，睡眠性麻痹通常可以使人出现幻觉，而有40％的人会在其一生中至少有过一次这种经历。另外，异常丰富的想象力也会在其中起到某些作用。

　　在接受调查的被绑架者中，有那么几位已被证实平时总爱处于浮想联翩的状态中，而且他们还曾表示自己看到过各种幽灵，并认为自己具有心灵感应或身体康复的能力。弗兰奇表示：“对有些人来说，他们幻想中的世界显得极为丰富多采，以至于他们总是习惯于将自己头脑里的所思所想与现实世界中实际发生的事情混为一谈。”

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