Spitefulness linked to belief in conspiracy theories
Published By admin with Comments 0
Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? New research has highlighted an important factor: spite.
Conspiracy theories—alternative explanations for major events that reject well-evidenced explanations in favor of implausible, illogical, or fantastical secret plots—have surged in popularity, particularly in times of crisis.
Recent research by psychologists from the University of Staffordshire and the University of Birmingham, published in the Journal of Social Issues, identifies spite as a key factor that underlies conspiracy theory belief.
“Spiteful psychological motives tend to emerge when people feel at a competitive disadvantage, often when they feel uncertain, threatened or undervalued,” explained lead researcher Dr. David Gordon from University of Staffordshire.
“Spite is the desire to ‘level the playing field’ by trying to knock someone else down, because it feels like there is no other choice. Conspiracy theories can serve as a way for individuals to satisfy this desire through rejecting expert opinion and scientific consensus.”
Over three studies involving 1,000 participants, the research examined how spitefulness interacts with three established motivations for conspiracy thinking: a need to understand the world (epistemic motives), a need for security (existential motives), and a need for social significance (social motives).
As expected, higher levels of spite were associated with a stronger belief in conspiracy theories, and spite mediated the relationship between conspiracy theory belief and the three established predictors.
Content retrieved from: https://phys.org/news/2025-03-spitefulness-linked-belief-conspiracy-theories.html.
