Conspiracy Theories

A new study published in Personality and Individual Differences provides evidence that conspiracy theories about COVID-19 can have a negative personal impact on individuals who adhere to such beliefs. The research indicates that COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs predict heightened levels of...

Conspiracy theories tend to prosper in times of crisis. When people are looking for ways to cope with uncertainty and threat, conspiracy theories may seem to offer simple answers. However, instead of making things better, conspiracy theories often make things...

According to findings published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, a person’s preferred thinking style can increase their susceptibility to believing in conspiracy theories. The study found that intuitive thinking — a thinking style driven by emotions over rationality — mediates the...

People with greater feelings of anxiety and lack of control during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic were more likely to endorse some conspiracy theories about the deadly virus, according to new research published in Applied Cognitive Psychology. "Our...

New research from Brazil helps to untangle the relationships between conspiracy beliefs, political partisanship, and support for COVID-19 prevention measures. The study provides more evidence that polarization endangers the effectiveness of public strategies to cope with the pandemic. "My main...

Conspiracy theories are recognized in most scientific domains as particularly dangerous. Climate change deniers, anti-vaxxers and, most recently, COVID-19 “shamdemic” conspiracy theorists all slow progress and, in some and extreme cases, put lives at risk, even beyond those who subscribe...

Individuals with a better grasp of scientific reasoning are less likely to fall prey to false conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research published in the Journal of Health Psychology. "At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic...

When it comes to the false claim that vaccines cause autism, Republicans tend to be more swayed by Donald Trump than scientists, according to new research published in the journal Health Communication. The study indicates that politicians can have a...

Heightened acceptance of hierarchy predicts heightened belief in certain types of conspiracy theories, according to new research in the British Journal of Psychology. The study suggests that cultural norms about the distribution of power are related to beliefs about foreign...

New research published in the Journal of Personality helps to establish a profile of those who are most likely to believe in conspiracy theories. The study indicates that conspiracy-prone individuals tend to exhibit heightened narcissism and antagonism along with reduced...

Cutting-edge methods from machine learning could help scientists better understand the visual experiences induced by psychedelic drugs such as dimethyltryptamine (DMT), according to a new article published in the scientific journal Neuroscience of Consciousness. Researchers have demonstrated that "classic" psychedelic...

People who believe in conspiracy theories display a cognitive bias -- known as the jumping-to-conclusions bias -- that is commonly observed in schizophrenia patients, according to new research published in Frontiers in Psychology. The study provides new insights into the...

New research provides evidence irrational beliefs and cognitive tendencies play an important role in health behaviors related to COVID-19, such as adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines and engaging in pseudoscientific practices. The study has been published in the scientific journal...

Four large studies among U.S. adults found consistent evidence that conservatives are more likely than liberals to endorse conspiracy thinking. This effect was explained by a distrust in officials and paranoid tendencies. The findings were published in Political Psychology. Past...

People with a poor understanding of quantitative information are more likely to endorse myths about COVID-19 and those who believe such misinformation are less likely to follow public health guidance such as wearing a mask in public, according to new...