Why do people believe in suspicious conspiracy theories?
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What's the Allure of Conspiracy Theories? | Savvy Psychologist
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/psychology-conspiracy-theories
According to Wu, psychologists point out that the following 'three needs' may be the motivation for people to believe in conspiracy theory.
◆ Motivation 1: The need to reduce uncertainty and understand the world
Various events and events occur around the world, and it is difficult to understand their complex causal relationships and randomness. As such, the world can be terrifying and uncertain for people.
What breaks such a situation is conspiracy theory, which claims that 'in fact, there is a large conspiracy behind this event, and various events around the world are caused by the will of somebody.' Conspiracy theory is a fascinating theory that resolves uncertainty and understands the world, and argues that 'evidence was created by a powerful being,' even if it was brought up and countered. , It is possible to return to conspiracy theory.
A 2012 study showed that 'when people feel strong uncertainty, they tend to believe in conspiracy theory.' Other studies have shown that people who tend to feel a lot of discomfort when they do not have an answer can easily believe in conspiracy theory.
◆ Motivation 2: Need to feel safe and have a sense of controlling things
It is also necessary for people to feel safe and control things in relation to understanding the world. At times, you may feel that you are powerless, unable to gain safety, and unable to control things, but in that case the conspiracy theory can be a concrete guide.
For example, when I or a child in another family suffers from unexplained physical condition, I am very anxious about not knowing the cause. However, by believing in the conspiracy theory that 'pharmaceutical companies spread disease through vaccines', we can understand the cause of poor physical condition. In addition, you can regain the sense of controlling things by gaining safety with the action of “denying vaccination”.
People who suffer from precarious employment, economic conditions and social prejudice and feel their lives are out of control tend to think that there is no safe place in the world. At such times, by believing in conspiracy theory, you can regain a sense of security and control, and reject official announcements and facts that are not convenient for you.
◆ Motivation 3: Need to maintain a good self-image
A 2017
For example, when you're unemployed, think'mysterious secret societies are keeping high unemployment and trying to take advantage of the next election,' because my skills are no longer useful in the job market. It's easier to swallow than thinking'I can't find a job' and helps maintain a high level of self-affirmation. Thus, believing in conspiracy theory can help those on the loser side of political and social processes maintain self-affirmation and blame those on the winner's side, Wu said.
Wu also explains the psychological reasons that help conspiracy theory take root among people.
◆1:
Confirmation bias is the tendency to collect only the information that reinforces a hypothesis or belief that one believes, and ignores any disproving or inconvenient information. People who believe in conspiracy theory gather and accept each other's beliefs as correct, solidify in a group with the same idea on SNS etc., open only convenient links from Google search results, it is convenient for myself I will strongly believe in the good conspiracy theory.
In addition, one of the causes of worsening the confirmation bias is that 'I rarely remember where I first heard the conspiracy theory that I believed in'. A 2008 study found that those who read a compelling explanation for conspiracy theory were more likely to say, 'I believed in this theory long ago.'
◆ 2: Conspiracy theory does not matter what the content is.
It seems that the content of the conspiracy theory itself is not so important in how strongly a person believes in the conspiracy theory, and that 'how strongly a person strongly supports the whole conspiracy theory' is important.
2012
◆3: Hallucinations caused by sleep disorders
Some conspiracy theories affirm the existence of aliens and paranormal phenomena, but it is possible that the conspiracy theorists are actually experiencing those events as 'illusions caused by sleep disorders etc.'
Actually, psychologists and brain scientists have a bondage (sleep paralysis) that makes you unable to move your body although you are conscious while sleeping, or an `` intra-cranial explosion pronunciation syndrome '' that sounds an explosion in your head immediately after falling asleep It has been pointed out that this is the true nature of abnormal experiences and paranormal phenomena.
Wu acknowledges that motivations for security and control make people believe in conspiracy theory, but he doesn't mean that conspiracy theory actually regains a sense of security and control. The conspiracy theory that claims that 'a huge organization controls the world' may cause you to lose the sense that you are controlling things.
In addition, a 2014 study showed that conspiracy theorists increased distrust of governments and public institutions, but not listening to the claims of governments and public institutions puts themselves at risk. I can dismiss it. In fact, in the United States, measles epidemics have become a major problem as the movement to ignore vaccinations by ignoring medical personnel and public health authorities has increased.
'In many ways, conspiracy theory is designed to appeal to our brain in times of stress and uncertainty,' Wu admits, conspiracy theory can be attractive. .. To deal with the conspiracy theory, people admit that they need to acknowledge the anxiety and at the same time weigh the facts and deal with the uncertainty while using useful knowledge.
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