Unlearn the cognitive biases and social motivations behind conspiracy beliefs by listening to this podcast full of interesting discussions on why people gravitate toward conspiracy theories as propaganda tools.
Cognitive Biases and Conspiracy Beliefs
As mentioned previously, psychological research on conspiracy theories tends to center around correlational studies, with only occasional experimental designs (for instance Golec de Zavala and Federico 2018) making an exception. Such correlational studies seek to find relationships between various personality traits or cognitive biases and conspiratorial beliefs and personality traits or cognitive biases; but what this literature lacks is an exploration of how understanding conspiratorial thinking might have causal ramifications on life and society interactions.
Research in Massachusetts suggests that conspiracy beliefs stem from feelings of disenfranchisement or the desire to feel understood and connected with other people, yet contrary to popular belief, believing in conspiracies doesn't fulfill either need; instead it only reinforces confusion, disconnection and distrust - often leading to actions with real consequences - like declining vaccination or voting rights.
Conspiracy theories tend to become more popular in individuals who already hold prejudiced attitudes toward other groups, like minorities or women, leading to further fuel for conspiracy beliefs as scapegoating is often used against perceived enemy groups such as minorities and women. Furthermore, conspiracy beliefs often come with feelings of powerlessness that make them even more dangerous.
An increased understanding of conspiracy theory beliefs could provide us with better strategies to reduce them. According to some scholars, their underlying motivations resemble those for paranoia: they tend to jump to conclusions quickly and prefer an intuitive, general thinking style over analytical one.
Researchers suggest that conspiracies may be more prevalent during impactful societal crisis situations such as natural disasters, rapid social change or wars. If this theory holds true, then conspiracy theories would likely increase during times of conflict as people's sense of safety and control erodes. Addressing these underlying motivations might provide more effective prevention strategies for those who believe in conspiracies.
Social Dynamics of Conspiracy Communities
Recent research on conspiracy theories highlights their social dimension. Researchers have determined that people's tendency to believe in these rumors stems from two primary motivations: maintaining strong ingroup identity and protecting against an threatening outgroup - two motivations which often contribute to feelings of alienation or disconnection within our societies.
Many individuals' distrust of mainstream media and "official" sources leads them to seek conspiracy theories online, where they may find more information that supports their beliefs. A study by Smallpage et al. (2017) discovered that conspiracy theorists tend to passively share and endorse conspiratorial content without first verifying it (refer Smallpage Thorson Sheble 2018).
While future studies should explore more closely how partisanship affects people's propensity to believe conspiracy theories, current evidence indicates that people's political beliefs and group identity are powerful forces driving them toward conspiracy thinking. Researchers found that increased ingroup identification correlates with greater conspiracy beliefs, while increased alienation from outside world is related to reduced conspiracy beliefs. Minority groups may be more inclined to turn to conspiracist theories because they blame the establishment for realistic problems faced by their communities, like discrimination and feeling devalued (Crocker et al. 1999).
People with lower levels of education tend to believe in conspiracy theories more readily because they feel neglected by government and other institutions and feel as if they are being taken advantage of. Furthermore, these individuals may have a harder time distinguishing credible from non-credible information which leaves them susceptible to such theories (Swami et al. 2016).
Studies have also demonstrated that feeling powerless can also increase conspiracy beliefs as people assume negative events in their lives were orchestrated by enemies rather than due to random chance, similar to how lack of control increases conspiracy beliefs and illusory pattern perception (reference Whitson & Galinsky 2008).
Impact of Conspiracy Theories in Massachusetts
Massachusetts misinformation -- an incorrect understanding or misinterpretation of what has occurred or is occurring -- must be distinguished from conspiracy theories, which seek to make sense of events by purporting to explain not just what has occurred but why. While misinformation may result from cognitive biases, conspiracy theories go further; they create worldviews that provide alternative explanations for life's happenings.
Conspiracy theories tend to have negative repercussions for society at large. They can lead to social isolation and limit people's ability to understand their surroundings, contributing to reduced empathy among individuals as well as society at large, discouraging political participation, military support or support from government; fuel terrorism or extremism and fuel its spread - among other consequences.
Researchers have determined that conspiratorial tendencies are affected by various personal and social factors, including partisanship and ideological orientation, having believed in conspiracy theories themselves being less likely to donate money or display political signs outside their home, income being an influence, etc.
Conspiracy theories can also shape our thoughts about other people. According to one study comparing participants who believed in conspiracy theories with those who didn't and found that those who held strong opinions about conspiracy theories were more likely to view differences of opinion as suspicious and, consequently, become vulnerable to charismatic leaders willing to exploit those differences as part of an overarching scheme.
Conspiracy theories can also foster paranoia that makes it hard to trust others - an issue of grave importance in any democracy that relies on free exchange of ideas and opinions.
Researchers have developed interventions designed to dissuade people from believing conspiracy theories, yet results vary considerably. Some studies have demonstrated how high-quality information from epistemic authority sources may be effective at dispelling conspiracy beliefs while other investigations indicate that those most opposed are some of the hardest targets to reach.
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