Conspiracy: Why Are People So Sick?

Conspiracy theories are a growing phenomenon, with people being motivated to believe in them due to a need for understanding and feeling safe in their environment. These theories have been prevalent since the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, disrupting public health interventions and enabling checks and balances to prevent abuses and protect the public. However, people with a conspiracy mindset distrust nearly everyone, especially experts. New research suggests that events happening worldwide are nurturing underlying emotions that make people more willing to believe in conspiracies.

People are drawn to dark conspiracy theories, often in favor of the simple truth. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation and conspiracy theories have surged, with some even claiming the virus does not exist or is not as dangerous as commonly believed. Researchers use AI and witchcraft folklore to map the coronavirus conspiracy theories that have sprung up, including denialism, which suggests the virus does not exist or is not as dangerous as commonly believed.

Psychologists have tried to understand personality types that might be prone to outlandish beliefs. A new study tested whether conspiracy beliefs claiming the pandemic is a hoax are linked to a weaker support of containment-related behavior. False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and its origin, prevention, and spread has led to online speculation about the origins of COVID-19.