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If governments confirm nonhuman intelligence, research suggests reactions will vary widely.

People with high intolerance of uncertainty may struggle more when familiar assumptions about reality change.

Preparing mental health systems to support vulnerable individuals will be important if disclosure occurs.

On February 19, 2026, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to begin identifying and releasing government files related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP)—the official term now used for what were once called UFOs. The order calls for agencies to locate and release records tied to UAP investigations, including materials addressing evidence of potential nonhuman intelligence, fueling worldwide curiosity about what the U.S. government may reveal after decades of unexplained aerial events.[6]

If those records confirm the presence of nonhuman intelligence, the implications would be profound. But perhaps the most fascinating question would be:

How would humans respond to learning we are not alone?

Human beings rely on mental models to navigate the world. These models include assumptions about the structure of reality and our place in the universe. When new information challenges those assumptions, people must update their understanding of how the world works.

Research on individuals who have experienced events that dramatically changed their worldview suggests that such moments can trigger existential questioning, confusion, and a strong drive to make sense of the new information.[1] This type of schematic reevaluation can, for some, cause emotional distress that has been referred to by psychologists as ontological shock.

But responses to worldview-challenging experiences are not uniform. Studies of anomalous experiences show that individuals vary widely in how they interpret and integrate such events, with reactions ranging from awe, curiosity, and reflection to distress or uncertainty.[2]

Psychologist Tim Lomas has suggested that these moments may sometimes be better understood as “ontological fracturing.” Rather than implying the collapse of a worldview, the concept describes situations in which previously stable assumptions develop cracks that require reinterpretation and gradual integration over time.[7]

His 2024 study published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology provides some evidence of how people respond to disclosure-like information. Using grounded-theory analysis of posts on X (formerly Twitter), the study identified four broad response categories: concern, positive reactions, skepticism or indifference, and critical engagement.[7]

Rather than producing a single collective reaction, the findings revealed a wide range of responses. Even events interpreted by some observers as partial “disclosure” did not produce universal shock. Instead, reactions reflected diverse interpretations shaped by prior beliefs, expectations, and attitudes toward the topic.

This research underscores the idea that new information never lands in a neutral environment. It is processed through existing beliefs and characteristics of unique individuals. And it is important to anticipate a spectrum of responses.

What we do know is that reality changes produce periods of uncertainty, which can be harder for some to process than others.

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Uncertainty and psychological reactions

While most people adapt during periods of uncertainty, some people have what is called intolerance of uncertainty, which is a dispositional trait where individuals perceive unknown or ambiguous situations as highly stressful, threatening, or unacceptable.

Intolerance of uncertainty exists along a spectrum in the population. However, research suggests that roughly 10 percent of individuals show elevated levels of this trait, which is strongly associated with anxiety, worry, and difficulty tolerating ambiguous situations. Individuals high in this trait often experience a strong need for predictability and control, and may respond to uncertainty with excessive worry, avoidance behaviors, or attempts to impose clear explanations even when definitive answers are not available.[4,5]

Intolerance of uncertainty contributes to multiple forms of psychological distress, including anxiety disorders, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and depression.[4]

For some people, uncertainty about nonhuman intelligence may lead to curiosity or philosophical reflection, while for others the same uncertainty may feel deeply disturbing. When clear explanations are not immediately available, people often try to fill the gap with narratives that restore a sense of certainty.

In uncertain environments, speculation, misinformation, and conspiracy theories can spread quickly because they offer simple explanations for complex or ambiguous events.

Another factor that will raise uncertainty and is likely to shape public reactions is whether nonhuman intelligence is perceived as a threat. Research in risk psychology shows that emotional responses to unfamiliar events are strongly influenced by perceived threat rather than objective risk, particularly when a phenomenon is both unknown and difficult to control.[8]

Reported UAP encounters over the past several decades generally describe objects that appear to be engaged in observational behavior rather than hostile actions. Military pilots and other observers frequently report objects maneuvering near aircraft or appearing to monitor training exercises, but there are no widely documented cases of direct attacks associated with these events.[9]

Context reduces uncertainty. That's why it is important that government disclosure provides adequate information in a thoughtful way that gives people the opportunity to make sense and meaning out of information being released.

Vulnerable populations and disclosure

These differences in how people tolerate uncertainty suggest that some individuals may have greater difficulty integrating a discovery of nonhuman intelligence than others.

Individuals who already struggle with psychological stress or high levels of anxiety and/or intolerance of uncertainty may find a sudden shift in humanity’s understanding of reality particularly challenging. People whose identity or worldview is strongly tied to existing beliefs about reality or religious beliefs may also need time to reconcile the discovery with their current frameworks for understanding how this new information affects them.

In these situations, mental health professionals may play an important role in helping individuals distinguish evidence from speculation and integrate new information into coherent personal narratives.

A discovery like no other

History shows that humanity has repeatedly faced discoveries that reshaped how we understand our place in the universe—from recognizing that Earth wasn't flat or that the sun does not revolve around it, to modern science’s view of our tiny planet in a vast and ever-expanding cosmos. Each of these moments required people to reconsider long-held assumptions about our reality, and societies ultimately incorporated those discoveries into new ways of understanding the world.

What is in the files that will be released remains unknown. The vast majority of our society will likely adapt to whatever is revealed. However, waiting to find out before thinking ahead about the needs of vulnerable populations could put a significant strain on our societies and mental health care systems.

If nonhuman intelligence becomes a confirmed reality, mental health professionals will not only need to adapt their own perspectives but also help lead the way in guiding individuals through the process of making sense of a larger and more complex universe than humanity has previously imagined.

1. Argyri, E. K., Evans, J., Luke, D., Michael, P., Michelle, K., Rohani-Shukla, C., Suseelan, S., Prideaux, E., McAlpine, R., Murphy-Beiner, A., & Robinson, O. C. (2025). Navigating groundlessness: An interview study on dealing with ontological shock and existential distress following psychedelic experiences. PLOS ONE, 20(5), e0322501.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.03225…

2. Rabeyron, T. (2022). When the truth is out there: Counseling people who report anomalous experiences. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 693707.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.693707/full

3. Baum, S. D., Haqq-Misra, J., & Domagal-Goldman, S. D. (2011). Would contact with extraterrestrials benefit or harm humanity? A scenario analysis. Acta Astronautica, 68(11–12), 2114–2129.https://arxiv.org/abs/1104.4462

4. Carleton, R. N. (2012). The intolerance of uncertainty construct in the context of anxiety disorders: Theoretical and practical perspectives. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 12(8), 937–947.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23002938/

5. Morriss, J., Goh, K., Hirsch, C. R., & Dodd, H. F. (2023). Intolerance of uncertainty heightens negative emotional states and dampens positive emotional states. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1147970.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10073686/

6. Nandita Bose and Trevor Hunnicutt. Trump says he will direct agencies to release UFO and alien files. Reuters. (2026, February 19). https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-claims-obama-revealed-classified…

7. Lomas, T. (2024). Unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) disclosure as ontological shock? Exploring diversity among social media responses to a congressional UAP hearing. Journal of Humanistic Psychology.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00221678241251871

8. Slovic, P. (2016). Understanding perceived risk: 1978–2015. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 58(1), 25–29.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00139157.2016.1112169

[9] Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Preliminary assessment: Unidentified aerial phenomena. June 25, 2021.https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessme…

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