The corral is a hotspot for conspiracy theorists, perhaps some of our friends here can be helped by this important information, the first step is always to acknowledge your problem.
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Some people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories. Here's how to know if you're one of them.
Learn about risk factors and common traits.
Welcome to the age of the conspiracy theory, a time when unfounded claims move with lightning speed across the internet, reaching even your sweet, well-educated grandmother who now believes that the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax and there's a man named Q leading an army of followers against a cabal of elite liberals who kidnap and traffic children.
If you're wondering how we arrived at this point, the explanation is complex but there's one under-appreciated factor: A lot of people are vulnerable to believing conspiracy theories, even those who think they're too smart for them.
In other words, the caricature of the tinfoil hat-wearing, paranoid shut-in may have once been a common punchline, but it's far from our current reality. Millions of people have been drawn to QAnon, the far-right group that believes President Trump is fighting a clandestine child sex-trafficking ring. (Trump has welcomed the group's support.) In a survey conducted by Pew Research Center this summer, nearly a quarter found some truth in the unfounded theory that the coronavirus pandemic was planned. A study published last month in the Journal of Personality found that the psychological traits associated with conspiracy beliefs might be far more normal than we think.
Karen Douglas, a professor of social psychology at the University of Kent who studies the psychology of conspiracy theories and co-published a major scientific article on the subject last year, has found that they appeal to people whose key psychological needs are unmet. Believers crave knowledge, desire safety and security, and need to maintain positive self-esteem.
While that sounds like it could describe anyone, Douglas says that some people are "better at resisting the temptation" of conspiracy theories.
"During times of crisis and when difficult decisions need to be made, these psychological needs are particularly threatened, and people are looking for ways to cope with the challenges they face," Douglas wrote in an email.
That's when an average person can become enthralled by a conspiracy theory. They may devote hours of their life to learning about it, join online groups that skew their newsfeed in favor of related content, and even change personal behaviors, like refusing to wear a mask because they believe COVID-19 is fake or patrolling a polling place because they think, per Trump's unfounded claims, that voter fraud is rampant.
If you feel immune to the power of conspiracy theories — remember, they exist on the right and the left — you should at least know the characteristics associated with such beliefs. And if you're worried that a conspiracy theory has already led you down a dark path, there's still time to change course. Here's what you should know:
1. We're living in a time of intense information warfare.
Conspiracies are real and do happen, which makes assessing the merits of a new theory difficult. After all, the CIA really did secretly dose unsuspecting victims with LSD. President Richard Nixon covered up the Watergate break-in. Tobacco companies knew for decades that cigarettes contained cancer-causing chemicals but hid the evidence from consumers.
"If one conspiracy theory turned out to be true, then many others suddenly seem possible," says Douglas.
While legitimate conspiracies warrant healthy skepticism of powerful companies, governments, and individuals, that cynicism has warped into a widespread, profound mistrust of authorities and experts. When a mass shooting happens in the U.S., for example, it's now common for a vocal minority to insist that the tragedy is instead a "false flag" designed to ultimately wrest guns away from their owners.
SEE ALSO: The most effective ways to support a loved one who believes in QAnon
Such nihilistic suspicion can be traced back to America's founding, but it's exponentially compounded by digital information warfare happening. Not only have politicians and media personalities spread conspiracy theories in order to profit and advance their political and personal agendas, foreign governments like Russia have also weaponized social media platforms to seed disinformation for their own purposes.
Steven Hassan, a licensed mental health counselor and former cult member who studies mind control techniques, says that state-sponsored disinformation campaigns are designed to create chaos, delegitimize democratic leaders and institutions, and create conflict between groups in the U.S. (A recent Russian disinformation campaign did this by setting up a fake left-wing news site.)
"The goal is to...cause people to distrust everything," says Hassan, who is also the author of Combating Cult Mind Control.
Many people who consume online content laden with conspiracy theories may mistake their discoveries for liberation from the status quo as well as mainstream news and expertise. They might even see their new beliefs as the path toward a more positive, hopeful future. QAnon believers, for example, believe their battle will lead to a reckoning, followed by a utopian age. Instead, they may be unwittingly aiding hostile actors, whether foreign or domestic, who hope to undermine democracy.
If you spend an inordinate amount of time on social media or extreme political sites, if your newsfeed is filled with wild claims about hidden plots, or if you spend hours searching for evidence of these theories online, you will be vulnerable to conspiracy theories, says Hassan.
"You can be in your apartment, on a smartphone 24/7, and you're being influenced," he says.
2. Conspiracy theory believers have common traits.
While conspiracy theory believers are often trying to satisfy unmet psychological needs, they share other common traits. Douglas' research suggests that narcissists and people who yearn to feel unique tend to adopt conspiracy theories. She says that seeking information others do not possess helps them feel superior to others.
"Perhaps conspiracy theories allow people to feel that they are in possession of rare, important information that other people do not have, making them feel special and thus boosting their self‐esteem," Douglas wrote in the 2019 article.
The research Douglas and her co-authors described in that paper indicates that people who experience anxiety, have difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction, feel powerless and alienated from politics, hold prejudices toward certain groups, adopt a quasi-religious mentality, and engage in "non-clinical delusional thinking" may be more prone to conspiracy theorizing.
Political views matter as well. People at both extremes of the political spectrum tend to believe in conspiracy theories more, says Douglas. The association between ideology and conspiracy theory beliefs isn't clear yet, but it might be linked to people's need to feel positively about the groups to which they belong, including political parties. An unproven theory that casts one group as malevolently threatened by its opposition could strengthen that group's sense of identity and belonging.
Douglas says it's important for people to know that their "political biases might influence how they process certain types of information."
While scientific research has found associations between conspiracy beliefs and certain personality traits, it's still unclear whether those links are causal. The connection between anxiousness and conspiracy theorizing, for example, might happen because anxiety makes people more vulnerable to those beliefs, or because people become more anxious as they learn about and endorse those ideas.
Shauna Bowes, a fourth-year graduate student researcher in clinical psychology at Emory University, conducted a study that tried to better understand individual personality traits associated with conspiracy beliefs. The results, published recently in the Journal of Personality, echoed previous findings that narcissism, poor critical thinking skills, intellectual certainty, reduced inquisitiveness, and anxiety and depression, among other factors, all play a role. Intellectual humility was negatively associated with adopting conspiracy theories, suggesting that modesty and reflection are an advantage.
Bowes says that if more people "pump the brakes" as they assess their beliefs, pausing to see if they include one or more conspiracy theories, it would help make them less vulnerable to those views.
"Changing beliefs is notoriously hard," says Bowes. "[G]etting people to revise their opinions is challenging because we hold our beliefs to certainty. We have a lot of work to do to figure out how to inoculate against [conspiracy] beliefs."
While you can't change strong personality traits or political affiliations overnight, you can improve your ability to cope with uncertainty. Feeling more confident when life is unpredictable may help protect you from the influence of conspiracy theories. That means you're less eager to improve your self-esteem by adopting a specific belief in order to feel special or superior to others.
If you struggle with uncertainty, find ways to enhance existing coping skills or learn new ones. This could mean strengthening ties with family or friends to feel more connected to others, practicing mindfulness to deal with anxiety, cultivating moments of joy to reduce stress, volunteering to give yourself an improved sense of purpose, or seeking therapy to manage your worries.
"With the pandemic and the economic calamity we face, everybody is stressed out, and everybody is super vulnerable, if not to QAnon, then to something else," says Hassan.
3. Your critical thinking abilities need to be strong.
Hassan says that people must think critically about the information they're consuming. This may seem obvious, but it's easy to overestimate one's ability to evaluate facts, data, and arguments. Everyone is susceptible to confirmation bias, or the tendency to interpret information in ways that reinforce your existing beliefs. You can combat this dynamic by relying on reputable news and media sources that challenge your views. You can also engage in reasonable conversations with people who hold different or opposing views. (These discussions might have a better chance of succeeding offline rather than on social media.)
Hassan says that when someone sees a story that sounds outlandish or too good to be true, they should assume it's false and avoid sharing it, unless it's verified by multiple reputable sources. If something is true, it will stand up to scrutiny over time.
He also advises people to step back and consider how they came to adopt a certain belief. That could include an accounting of where they first encountered the idea, how they learned more about it, and whether they found an online or in-person community that sustained their interest in a conspiracy theory and perhaps even gave them a new sense of identity and belonging.
Hassan's own "influence continuum" is a visual representation of how the information we're exposed to can lead to healthy or destructive outcomes. Positive influence is related to unconditional love and compassion at the individual level. Unhealthy influence, like from certain conspiracy theories, revolves around fear, hate, and doctrine. The challenge now, however, is that many people who believe in QAnon or insist the pandemic is a hoax reject authoritative sources and see the influence of those theories as positive and themselves as critical thinkers who value free will. They view those who don't share their beliefs as ruled by fear.
To prevent this from happening, identify what widely respected sources of information you can trust, even cautiously. YouTube channels hosted by people with marginal or nonexistent expertise and private Facebook groups filled with people making connections with little evidence or support do not meet that bar.
"People must carefully appraise the information they come across and listen to experts," says Douglas. "They must be willing to engage with the possibility that the information they read is incorrect and untrustworthy."
Some people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories. Here's how to know if you're one of them. — Mashable
Learn about risk factors and common traits.
Some people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories. Here's how to know if you're one of them.
Learn about risk factors and common traits.
Welcome to the age of the conspiracy theory, a time when unfounded claims move with lightning speed across the internet, reaching even your sweet, well-educated grandmother who now believes that the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax and there's a man named Q leading an army of followers against a cabal of elite liberals who kidnap and traffic children.
If you're wondering how we arrived at this point, the explanation is complex but there's one under-appreciated factor: A lot of people are vulnerable to believing conspiracy theories, even those who think they're too smart for them.
In other words, the caricature of the tinfoil hat-wearing, paranoid shut-in may have once been a common punchline, but it's far from our current reality. Millions of people have been drawn to QAnon, the far-right group that believes President Trump is fighting a clandestine child sex-trafficking ring. (Trump has welcomed the group's support.) In a survey conducted by Pew Research Center this summer, nearly a quarter found some truth in the unfounded theory that the coronavirus pandemic was planned. A study published last month in the Journal of Personality found that the psychological traits associated with conspiracy beliefs might be far more normal than we think.
Karen Douglas, a professor of social psychology at the University of Kent who studies the psychology of conspiracy theories and co-published a major scientific article on the subject last year, has found that they appeal to people whose key psychological needs are unmet. Believers crave knowledge, desire safety and security, and need to maintain positive self-esteem.
While that sounds like it could describe anyone, Douglas says that some people are "better at resisting the temptation" of conspiracy theories.
"During times of crisis and when difficult decisions need to be made, these psychological needs are particularly threatened, and people are looking for ways to cope with the challenges they face," Douglas wrote in an email.
That's when an average person can become enthralled by a conspiracy theory. They may devote hours of their life to learning about it, join online groups that skew their newsfeed in favor of related content, and even change personal behaviors, like refusing to wear a mask because they believe COVID-19 is fake or patrolling a polling place because they think, per Trump's unfounded claims, that voter fraud is rampant.
If you feel immune to the power of conspiracy theories — remember, they exist on the right and the left — you should at least know the characteristics associated with such beliefs. And if you're worried that a conspiracy theory has already led you down a dark path, there's still time to change course. Here's what you should know:
1. We're living in a time of intense information warfare.
Conspiracies are real and do happen, which makes assessing the merits of a new theory difficult. After all, the CIA really did secretly dose unsuspecting victims with LSD. President Richard Nixon covered up the Watergate break-in. Tobacco companies knew for decades that cigarettes contained cancer-causing chemicals but hid the evidence from consumers.
"If one conspiracy theory turned out to be true, then many others suddenly seem possible," says Douglas.
While legitimate conspiracies warrant healthy skepticism of powerful companies, governments, and individuals, that cynicism has warped into a widespread, profound mistrust of authorities and experts. When a mass shooting happens in the U.S., for example, it's now common for a vocal minority to insist that the tragedy is instead a "false flag" designed to ultimately wrest guns away from their owners.
SEE ALSO: The most effective ways to support a loved one who believes in QAnon
Such nihilistic suspicion can be traced back to America's founding, but it's exponentially compounded by digital information warfare happening. Not only have politicians and media personalities spread conspiracy theories in order to profit and advance their political and personal agendas, foreign governments like Russia have also weaponized social media platforms to seed disinformation for their own purposes.
Steven Hassan, a licensed mental health counselor and former cult member who studies mind control techniques, says that state-sponsored disinformation campaigns are designed to create chaos, delegitimize democratic leaders and institutions, and create conflict between groups in the U.S. (A recent Russian disinformation campaign did this by setting up a fake left-wing news site.)
"The goal is to...cause people to distrust everything," says Hassan, who is also the author of Combating Cult Mind Control.
Many people who consume online content laden with conspiracy theories may mistake their discoveries for liberation from the status quo as well as mainstream news and expertise. They might even see their new beliefs as the path toward a more positive, hopeful future. QAnon believers, for example, believe their battle will lead to a reckoning, followed by a utopian age. Instead, they may be unwittingly aiding hostile actors, whether foreign or domestic, who hope to undermine democracy.
If you spend an inordinate amount of time on social media or extreme political sites, if your newsfeed is filled with wild claims about hidden plots, or if you spend hours searching for evidence of these theories online, you will be vulnerable to conspiracy theories, says Hassan.
"You can be in your apartment, on a smartphone 24/7, and you're being influenced," he says.
2. Conspiracy theory believers have common traits.
While conspiracy theory believers are often trying to satisfy unmet psychological needs, they share other common traits. Douglas' research suggests that narcissists and people who yearn to feel unique tend to adopt conspiracy theories. She says that seeking information others do not possess helps them feel superior to others.
"Perhaps conspiracy theories allow people to feel that they are in possession of rare, important information that other people do not have, making them feel special and thus boosting their self‐esteem," Douglas wrote in the 2019 article.
The research Douglas and her co-authors described in that paper indicates that people who experience anxiety, have difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction, feel powerless and alienated from politics, hold prejudices toward certain groups, adopt a quasi-religious mentality, and engage in "non-clinical delusional thinking" may be more prone to conspiracy theorizing.
Political views matter as well. People at both extremes of the political spectrum tend to believe in conspiracy theories more, says Douglas. The association between ideology and conspiracy theory beliefs isn't clear yet, but it might be linked to people's need to feel positively about the groups to which they belong, including political parties. An unproven theory that casts one group as malevolently threatened by its opposition could strengthen that group's sense of identity and belonging.
Douglas says it's important for people to know that their "political biases might influence how they process certain types of information."
While scientific research has found associations between conspiracy beliefs and certain personality traits, it's still unclear whether those links are causal. The connection between anxiousness and conspiracy theorizing, for example, might happen because anxiety makes people more vulnerable to those beliefs, or because people become more anxious as they learn about and endorse those ideas.
Shauna Bowes, a fourth-year graduate student researcher in clinical psychology at Emory University, conducted a study that tried to better understand individual personality traits associated with conspiracy beliefs. The results, published recently in the Journal of Personality, echoed previous findings that narcissism, poor critical thinking skills, intellectual certainty, reduced inquisitiveness, and anxiety and depression, among other factors, all play a role. Intellectual humility was negatively associated with adopting conspiracy theories, suggesting that modesty and reflection are an advantage.
Bowes says that if more people "pump the brakes" as they assess their beliefs, pausing to see if they include one or more conspiracy theories, it would help make them less vulnerable to those views.
"Changing beliefs is notoriously hard," says Bowes. "[G]etting people to revise their opinions is challenging because we hold our beliefs to certainty. We have a lot of work to do to figure out how to inoculate against [conspiracy] beliefs."
While you can't change strong personality traits or political affiliations overnight, you can improve your ability to cope with uncertainty. Feeling more confident when life is unpredictable may help protect you from the influence of conspiracy theories. That means you're less eager to improve your self-esteem by adopting a specific belief in order to feel special or superior to others.
If you struggle with uncertainty, find ways to enhance existing coping skills or learn new ones. This could mean strengthening ties with family or friends to feel more connected to others, practicing mindfulness to deal with anxiety, cultivating moments of joy to reduce stress, volunteering to give yourself an improved sense of purpose, or seeking therapy to manage your worries.
"With the pandemic and the economic calamity we face, everybody is stressed out, and everybody is super vulnerable, if not to QAnon, then to something else," says Hassan.
3. Your critical thinking abilities need to be strong.
Hassan says that people must think critically about the information they're consuming. This may seem obvious, but it's easy to overestimate one's ability to evaluate facts, data, and arguments. Everyone is susceptible to confirmation bias, or the tendency to interpret information in ways that reinforce your existing beliefs. You can combat this dynamic by relying on reputable news and media sources that challenge your views. You can also engage in reasonable conversations with people who hold different or opposing views. (These discussions might have a better chance of succeeding offline rather than on social media.)
Hassan says that when someone sees a story that sounds outlandish or too good to be true, they should assume it's false and avoid sharing it, unless it's verified by multiple reputable sources. If something is true, it will stand up to scrutiny over time.
He also advises people to step back and consider how they came to adopt a certain belief. That could include an accounting of where they first encountered the idea, how they learned more about it, and whether they found an online or in-person community that sustained their interest in a conspiracy theory and perhaps even gave them a new sense of identity and belonging.
Hassan's own "influence continuum" is a visual representation of how the information we're exposed to can lead to healthy or destructive outcomes. Positive influence is related to unconditional love and compassion at the individual level. Unhealthy influence, like from certain conspiracy theories, revolves around fear, hate, and doctrine. The challenge now, however, is that many people who believe in QAnon or insist the pandemic is a hoax reject authoritative sources and see the influence of those theories as positive and themselves as critical thinkers who value free will. They view those who don't share their beliefs as ruled by fear.
To prevent this from happening, identify what widely respected sources of information you can trust, even cautiously. YouTube channels hosted by people with marginal or nonexistent expertise and private Facebook groups filled with people making connections with little evidence or support do not meet that bar.
"People must carefully appraise the information they come across and listen to experts," says Douglas. "They must be willing to engage with the possibility that the information they read is incorrect and untrustworthy."
