Will You Become A Part Of The Plot?

Conspiracy theories can be influenced by various personality traits and motivations, such as a strong sense of antagonism and superiority. Popular conspiracy theories include alien contact, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the cover-up of genetically modified foods, and the manufacturing of a fake crisis in the form of global warming. People are drawn to conspiracy theories due to a cluster of psychological features, which can lead to baseless theories that threaten our safety and democracy.

A new analysis reveals that there are very few proven ways to pull someone out of a conspiracy rabbit hole. Misinformation can spur a mob that stormed the Capitol, highlighting the disastrous effects such theories can produce. The spread of beliefs in unfounded conspiracy theories can have serious consequences, as seen in the January 2021 attack of the US Capitol by rioters who were convinced that the 2020 Presidential election was fraudulent.

Statistically speaking, almost everyone believes in conspiracy theories, and while some may think belief in such stories is linked to intelligence, research is beginning to show that how people think could be more complex than that. A team of researchers recently showed several thousand Americans a list of 20 common conspiracy theories and asked if they believed them. In US politics, conspiracies are rife, and many more emerged in the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. People can be prone to believing in conspiracy theories due to a combination of personality traits and motivations, including relying heavily on their intuition.