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In a recent study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, researchers have found that belief in conspiracy theories can negatively impact an individual’s mental health, particularly by fostering paranoid thoughts. This groundbreaking research provides clear evidence that exposure to conspiracy theories can lead to suspicions about others’ intentions and fears of being observed or intentionally harmed.
Although previous studies have linked conspiracy beliefs to societal and psychological issues, there has been limited research on their direct impact on mental health. In their new study, the researchers specifically sought to understand the causal relationship between exposure to conspiracy theories and the development of paranoid thoughts.
“The links between conspiracy beliefs and various psychological constructs are often explained in a causal way: for example, when people experience a low sense of control, they may adopt conspiracy explanations that seemingly put their world in order, as conspiracy theories usually point out some powerful groups who control the world,” explained study author Zuzanna Molenda, a PhD student at the Polish Academy of Sciences and member of the Political Cognition Lab.
“In our lab, we are interested in investigating if and how psychological phenomena and conspiracy beliefs might affect each other. Bearing in mind that currently, social media provides a large space for the dissemination of conspiracy theories, possibly making its users (un)intentionally exposed to this type of beliefs, in this work, we were especially interested in examining the effects of conspiracy beliefs on the outcomes crucial for the individual, that is mental health.”
The researchers employed a combination of longitudinal and experimental methods to investigate the impact of conspiracy beliefs on paranoid thoughts.
The first study was a two-wave longitudinal survey conducted among adult participants in Poland. This survey aimed to track changes in participants’ beliefs and thoughts over time. Initially, 1,000 participants were recruited, with 603 completing both waves of the survey. The two waves were separated by a six-month interval.
Participants were asked to report their level of agreement with statements related to conspiracy beliefs and paranoid thoughts using standardized psychological scales. The conspiracy beliefs were measured with the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs scale, and paranoid thoughts were assessed using the Revised Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale.
The longitudinal survey revealed that conspiracy beliefs at the first measurement point predicted an increase in paranoid thoughts six months later. This finding supports the hypothesis that holding conspiracy beliefs can lead to the development of paranoid thinking over time. Specifically, the data showed a positive relationship between initial conspiracy beliefs and subsequent paranoid thoughts, suggesting a temporal link where belief in conspiracy theories precedes and potentially causes an increase in paranoid thoughts.
The second study employed an experimental design involving 384 British participants recruited through an online platform. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: the conspiracy condition or the control condition.
Those in the conspiracy condition read three fabricated articles presenting conspiracy theories about various topics, such as migration, 5G technology, and politics. Participants in the control condition read similar articles without the conspiratorial content, focusing instead on neutral, scientific explanations. After reading the articles, participants completed a survey measuring their paranoid thoughts, providing immediate data on the impact of conspiracy theory exposure.
The third study replicated the experimental design of Study 2 with a Polish sample and added measures to investigate the role of emotions. This study included 445 participants who were again divided into conspiracy and control conditions. Besides measuring paranoid thoughts, participants reported the intensity and valence (positive or negative) of their emotions while reading the articles. This additional data helped the researchers understand the emotional mechanisms through which exposure to conspiracy theories might lead to increased paranoid thoughts.
The experimental studies provided direct evidence of the causal impact of exposure to conspiracy theories on paranoid thoughts. In Study 2, participants exposed to conspiracy-themed articles reported significantly higher levels of paranoid thoughts compared to those who read neutral articles. This finding was replicated in Study 3 with a Polish sample, confirming the robustness of the effect across different cultural contexts.
Additionally, Study 3 explored the emotional mechanisms behind this relationship. The results showed that the effect of exposure to conspiracy theories on paranoid thoughts was mediated by the intensity of negative emotions. Participants who felt stronger negative emotions while reading the conspiracy articles were more likely to experience increased paranoid thoughts. This finding highlights the role of emotional response in the development of paranoid thinking following exposure to conspiracy theories.
“Our research supports previous findings and directly shows that adherence and exposure to conspiracy beliefs might negatively affect the individual’s well-being,” Molenda told PsyPost. “Specifically, we demonstrated the role of conspiracy beliefs in fostering paranoid thoughts – suspicions about other’s intentions and fear of being observed or intentionally hurt by others.”
“That is, the exposure to conspiracy theories enhanced paranoid thoughts (measured right after the exposure). This might be due to negative, intense emotions that – as past studies showed – play an important role in developing paranoid thoughts. In other words, believing in and exposure to conspiracy theories has the potential to increase the perception of the world as dangerous, intensify negative emotions, and worsen mental states, increasing the likelihood of paranoid thought occurrence.”
In terms of future research, Molenda explained “most of all, we would like to continue exploring the effects of conspiracy beliefs and exposure to conspiracy theories on psychological processes and phenomena. For example, it would be interesting and useful to examine the effects of constant, long-term exposure to conspiracy theories (which we can experience, e.g., on the Internet). Of course, such studies should be conducted carefully, considering the ethical issues they may raise.”
“In general, we plan to pursue our investigation regarding possible causes and effects of conspiracy beliefs, focusing on psychological processes essential for individuals (e.g., emotions). A deeper understanding of interactions between one’s psychological states or traits and the social world is crucial to our lab.”
“Importantly, by any means, we do not suggest that exposure to conspiracy theories is the common or ultimate cause of paranoia,” she added. “We only pointed out that conspiracy beliefs might contribute to the development of paranoid thoughts or a temporal increase in paranoid thoughts. Possibly, those who are more prone to paranoid thoughts, for example, due to some risk factors such as ongoing stress or psychoactive substance use, may be particularly susceptible to the adverse psychological effects of exposure to conspiracy theories.”
The study, “Thought contagion? Conspiracy beliefs boost paranoid thoughts,” was authored by Zuzanna Molenda, Marta Marchlewska, Adam Karakula, Wojciech Podsiadłowski, Marta Rogoza, Paulina Bagrowska, and Dagmara Szczepanska.
