Why some people are willing to believe conspiracy theories

[Michie]

People endorse conspiracy theories due to complex combination of personality traits, motivations

Read the journal article​

• The Conspiratorial Mind (PDF, 889KB)

WASHINGTON — People can be prone to believe in conspiracy theories due to a combination of personality traits and motivations, including relying strongly on their intuition, feeling a sense of antagonism and superiority toward others, and perceiving threats in their environment, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

The results of the study paint a nuanced picture of what drives conspiracy theorists, according to lead author Shauna Bowes, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Emory University.

“Conspiracy theorists are not all likely to be simple-minded, mentally unwell folks—a portrait which is routinely painted in popular culture,” said Bowes. “Instead, many turn to conspiracy theories to fulfill deprived motivational needs and make sense of distress and impairment.”

The research was published online in the journal Psychological Bulletin.

Previous research on what drives conspiracy theorists had mostly looked separately at personality and motivation, according to Bowes. The current study aimed to examine these factors together to arrive at a more unified account of why people believe in conspiracy theories.

To do so, the researchers analyzed data from 170 studies involving over 158,000 participants, mainly from the United States, the United Kingdom and Poland. They focused on studies that measured participants’ motivations or personality traits associated with conspiratorial thinking.

The researchers found that overall, people were motivated to believe in conspiracy theories by a need to understand and feel safe in their environment and a need to feel like the community they identify with is superior to others.

Continued below.

Why some people are willing to believe conspiracy theories

People can be prone to believe in conspiracy theories due to a combination of personality traits and motivations, including relying strongly on their intuition, feeling a sense of antagonism and superiority toward others, and perceiving threats in their environment.

www.apa.org

 

[imsaneru]

Wadda ya mean mate ?........dares nufink rong wiff us.

 

[crixus]

Many people are naive. They believe whatever they see on TV news and social media or hear from friends, but they don't do any research. None.

 

[Michie]

Many people are naive. They believe whatever they see on TV news and social media or hear from friends, but they don't do any research. None.

It also boost the ego. A search to make sense out of a chaotic world, etc. Overall, it not very healthy on several levels. It amazes me the boost they have gotten from the internet.

 

[Lost4words]

Just look at the people who ACTUALLY believe the earth is flat or that the moon gives out its very own self generated light!!!!! Unbelievably gullible and naive to say the least!

 

[Michie]

Just look at the people who ACTUALLY believe the earth is flat or that the moon gives out its very own self generated light!!!!! Unbelievably gullible and naive to say the least!

Well after talking to several physicians and doing some reading myself. It seems to boil down to fear among other things. Christians seem to need it to validate their interpretation of Scripture. Others need it for various reasons. I’m sure you heard about that poor man who lit himself on fire recently. Big conspiracy believer. It certainly did no favors for his mental health. That was just tragic.