--- title: "Meet the People Who Claim to Be Alien “Starseeds”" description: "A group of people who refer to themselves as \"Starseeds,\" believe that they are aliens from different stars and planets, reincarnated inside human bodies." date: "2023-03-17" modified: "2023-03-17" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/people-alien-starseeds" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "health" - "mental health" - "Psychology" - "starseeds" --- # Meet the People Who Claim to Be Alien “Starseeds” ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* *What's that? Sorry, couldn't hear you:* *I was accessing my home star cluster's dimensional frequency.* Oh, it's real: A group of people who — according to TikTok, Instagram, and countless [New Age blogs —]() refer to themselves as "[Starseeds]()," and believe that they are aliens from different stars and planets, reincarnated inside human bodies. Their valiant task is to help usher in a bountiful golden age for humanity. Naturally. "Starseed is the modern name for what was known in antiquity as angels," one YouTuber, who goes by "The Alchemist," explains in a [recent video](). "They are residents of higher dimensions that specifically incarnated into a human physical experience with the intention to help raise the collective consciousness of humanity." Got it. The concept — which has been around since at least [the 1970s]() — appears to have exploded in recent years, likely a result of the rise of the [modern, New New Age wellness industry](). Seriously, just type in [#starseed]() on TikTok and you'll get over one billion results. But as a team of psychologists — Ken Drinkwater and Neil Dagnall, from the Manchester Metropolitan University, and Andrew Denovan, a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield — [explain in an essay for *The Conversation*]() about the phenomenon, there's a helpful theory that might explain why so many people believe this stuff. They claim it's because of the Forer Effect, a common psychological phenomenon based on psychologist Bertram Forer's 1949 paper called the "Fallacy of Personal Validation," which posits that it's incredibly easy to get people to identify deeply with vague personality descriptions that can apply to just about anyone — especially when those common traits are framed to validate the individual desire to be seen as unique. ("I'm not like other girls — I'm an alien girl.") Think astrology, but in this case, it's aliens. And indeed, like with astrology, there are a number of [different types]() of Starseeds, which come from different star "clusters" — or galaxies, or planets, or what have you — and apparently have different personality traits. Look, yes, people are different. But even before you reach that point, the reasons that people are drawn to the idea of being a Starseed in the first place — which according to *The Conversation,* includes feeling a lack of belonging, literally just having empathy, and experiencing mental health issues — really just seem like the side effects of being human. That said, a disclaimer: as noted in the experts' essay, there are probably some outfits who believe themselves to be aliens in a much more real way, particularly those who might be affected by schizophrenia or similar disorders. The Starseeds, on the other hand, are likely just suffering from a bit of [self-rarifying](). But hey, we all cope with the burdens of humanity in our own ways. Besides, what do we know? We're just silly ol' Earthlings, after all. **READ MORE:** [*Starseeds: psychologists on why some people think they're aliens living on Earth*]() \[The Conversation\] **More on the Forer Effect:** [*People Thought an AI Was Brilliantly Analyzing Their Personalities, but It Was Actually Giving out Feedback Randomly*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()