Psychologists are trying to determine why rationally minded people shift from "prudent paranoia" to illogical conspiracy theories.
According to a poll by the Institute for Public Policy, about 12 million Americans believe that Earth is ruled by reptilian aliens in the form of humans. He took it for granted after Conspiracy Theorist founder David Icke claimed that the Queen of Great Britain was a blood-swallowed alien.
Conspiracy theory as a whole isn't that bad, according to psychologists who study it. "If we were all totally gullible, it would be bad for survival," explained psychology professor Rob Brotherton, author of Why We Believe in Conspiracy Theory. "Sometimes these people really don't take our interests into account."
But when people see their leader trying to undermine their belief that he might be a reptile in disguise, they are more likely to reject what psychologists call "prudent paranoia" in an illogical realm.
And there are a lot of such illogical things, there is plenty to choose from. About 66 million Americans believe aliens have landed in Roswell, New Mexico; about 22 million people believe the government faked the moon landing and about 160 million believe there is a conspiracy surrounding the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy.
“While aliens and a fake moon landing might leave many of us in doubt, defining what constitutes a conspiracy theory is difficult,” Brotherton said. “The government does sometimes do disgusting things, such as the infamous Tuskegee study begun by the US government in the 1930s to study syphilis in African American men. Scientists did not inform patients about penicillin treatment and did not admit them to treatment in other hospitals. The investigation continued until the media made it public. In this case, we can confidently say that the government conspired to keep sick people under supervision."
“There are some quirks that help distinguish conspiracy theory from prudent paranoia,” Brotherton said. - Conspiracy theories tend to depend on conspirators who are notoriously vicious and have the goal of genocide or world domination. As a rule, conspiracy theories require a high level of competence from the conspirators, since the government, when doing immoral things, is often unable to keep them secret.
“Each of us has someone who believes in some version of conspiracy theory, so psychologists are trying to understand what makes people go from logical doubts to looking for reptile teeth from public figures. Research has shown that it is the feeling of helplessness and insecurity that leads people to believe in conspiracies,”said Karen Douglas, professor of social psychology at the University of Kent, UK. And political science professor Joseph E. Ushinsky of the University of Miami believes that "conspiracies are the lot of losers."
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“I don't want to humiliate anyone, but people who believe the government is involved in conspiracy theories are raising the alarm and banding together to soothe their wounds,” Ushinsky explained. - It is worth looking at any elections. The next morning after them, half of the population is sure that the elections were rigged, and the other half is rejoicing."
“Believing in a conspiracy theory is one of the strategies people use to regain their sense of control, even if the conspiracy theory has nothing to do with them,” Brotherton said. "Someone needs them to understand what is happening in the world."
“The study also found a link between open-mindedness and a tendency to believe in conspiracy theories. People who believe in them also believe in a new Armageddon, urban legends and all kinds of unorthodox ideas, Brotherton said. "Not surprisingly, conspiracy theorists are often suspicious and distrustful of people and organizations."
“Conspiracy theories are especially attractive to those who can choose the conspirators of their choice,” Ushinsky said. - For example, the conspiracy theory surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy is so popular precisely because anyone can be accused of it: the US government, the CIA, or even the former Soviet Union and Cuba.
“Most conspiracy theories come and go,” Ushinsky said. - No more than 25% of the population can believe in any one theory. There are only a certain number of people who believe in any particular theory. For example, people who were perplexed by the death of US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia very quickly switched to the "next topic."
“But once someone believes in a theory, it's almost impossible to dissuade him or her. This is because belief in a conspiracy is not based on facts or logic, Brotherton explained. "To give a simple example, the lack of evidence for any conspiracy theory can only reinforce the suspicion that the evidence was classified." “Parting with your favorite conspiracy theory is like convincing Republicans to become Democrats, and vice versa,” Ushinsky said.
“People are often convinced that they have studied the information objectively and carefully and come to reasonable conclusions,” Brotherton said, “but these are really just 'personal biases.'
He refers to a study in which scientists invited a group of people who believed that the assassination of John F. Kennedy was the result of a conspiracy theory, and a group of people who doubted it. Two groups received purposefully ambiguous information.
“If everyone thought rationally, the information provided could temper their beliefs,” Brotherton explained. “Those who were convinced of a conspiracy would doubt it, while others who were convinced that there was no conspiracy could also would change my mind. However, the opposite happened: people chose the information they wanted to believe in, and everyone strengthened their confidence in their original beliefs."
While most conspiracies tend to gain traction among a small number of people, this can quickly become extremely dangerous. Followers of Cliven Bundy believe that the government is secretly implanting chips in the millennial generation and that the UN is under the control of the FBI. People who believe the Sandy Hook mass shooting in Connecticu was rigged are harassing the families of the children who died.
Douglas and her colleague Dan Jolly have studied the social implications of modern conspiracy theories. They studied the impact on people of such theories that governments in different countries are to blame for climate change and vaccinations. “The results were unpleasant,” Douglas said.
One experiment involved two groups of people. One of the groups read an article about conspiracy theories related to vaccinations. The article said that pharmaceutical companies falsify vaccine safety and efficacy data because vaccines make a lot of money. The second group did not read the article. All participants in the experiment were asked to imagine themselves as the parents of a three-year-old toddler and asked if they would vaccinate their child against a fictional disease? The first group said they would not vaccinate the child.
The results of this study are diminishing in places like California, USA, where children were usually untouched and were affected by a measles outbreak in 2014. “It's understandable why people support conspiracy theories against vaccinations,” Brotherton said. “When it comes to the most important choice in their life, like raising their children, they are very anxious. A person in such circumstances is unlikely to critically assess the evidence presented, and the Internet is "full of people convinced of the dangers of vaccinations."
While Ushinsky says there are only a small number of people buying into a particular conspiracy theory, the anti-vaccination movement is a prime example of how a small number of people can make a wild conspiracy theory spread at epidemic rates.