Tylor Cosgrove notes that conspiracy theories spread wider in times of uncertainty, including during war, economic downturn and widespread hardship. He looks at the type of personalities that are drawn to them
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A prominent explanation for this is that conspiracy beliefs serve underlying psychological needs. These include providing answers when things are unclear or uncertain, providing a sense of control by identifying a powerful group to take action against, and for social reasons, such as showing others which political groups you belong to and signalling loyalty to those groups.
I wanted to find out when educated people might also “fall down the rabbit hole”, and learn more about which psychological needs lead them to do so.
The research
Over two studies, 660 adults were asked to complete a series of questionnaires to measure narcissistic traits. These included:
having a sense of superiority or entitlement (grandiosity)
needing to be unique (wanting to be special and stand out from others)
and a need for “cognitive closure”: a desire for concrete answers and viewing things as black and white.
The participants then answered how much they believed in certain conspiracy theories. One example put to them was: “the assassination of John F. Kennedy was not committed by the lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, but was rather a detailed, organised conspiracy to kill the President”.
They also attempted to distinguish true statements from misinformation, including “Ebola Virus Caused by US Nuclear Weapons Testing, New Study Says”.
The participants had varying levels of education, ranging from high school or less through to having a masters or doctorate. They also had a variety of political beliefs.
People who scored higher in narcissistic traits were more accepting of conspiracy theories and misinformation.
Head vs heart
Scholarly evidence shows people with lower levels of education are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. But that’s only part of the story.
We also know that historically, conspiracy theories have done well in times of uncertainty, including during war, economic downturn and widespread hardship (such as the COVID pandemic).
Content retrieved from: https://www.interest.co.nz/economy/136823/tylor-cosgrove-notes-conspiracy-theories-spread-wider-times-uncertainty-including.
