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Why People Believe in Conspiracy Theories [Preview]
Conspiracy theories offer easy answers by casting the world as simpler and more predictable than it is. Their popularity may pose a threat to societal well-being
Image: MARIO WAGNER
In Brief
Suspicious Minds
- People who believe in one conspiracy theory are likely to espouse others, even when they are contradictory.
- Conspiracy ideation is also linked with mistrust of science, including well-established findings, such as the fact that smoking can cause lung cancer.
- Mere exposure to information supporting various fringe explanations can erode engagement in societal discourse.
More In This Article
Did NASA fake the moon landing? Is the government hiding Martians in Area 51? Isglobal warming a hoax? The answer to these questions is, “No,” yet a committed subculture of conspiracy theorists vigorously argues the opposite.
Many scholars dismiss conspiracy theorists as paranoid and delusional. Psychological data bolster their case: people who harbor conspiracist thoughts are also more inclined to paranoid ideation and schizotypy, a mild form of schizophrenia. As conspiracy theory expert Timothy Melley of Miami University has put it, these beliefs are often dismissed as “the implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.”
This article was originally published with the title What a Hoax.
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