Buzz
Studies reveal that people are drawn to conspiracy theories for a variety of reasons. The authors of "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories" categorize these motives into three primary groups: epistemic, existential, and social.
Epistemic motives stem from the desire of conspiracy theorists to find causal explanations. This satisfies their need to make sense of the world, calm their curiosity, and ease the confusion they experience when faced with conflicting information or seemingly random events. Such beliefs also elevate their sense of self-worth and reinforce their group identity.
Existential motives fulfill the need of conspiracy theorists to feel safe, secure, and in control of their surroundings. Social motives, on the other hand, arise from the desire to fit in, maintain a positive self-image, and protect their group’s reputation, often by blaming others for unfavorable outcomes that threaten their worldview.
What’s the harm in believing in ideas like hazardous chemtrails being chemical or biological agents, shadowy elites secretly controlling the world, government-run concentration camps for citizens, or the moon landing being faked in a film studio? Besides the erosion of trust in authorities, experts, and the media, these beliefs can lead to serious consequences such as sickness, death, damaged relationships, social isolation, misplaced confidence, sleep disturbances, substance abuse, depression, and paranoia.
It’s important to explore why some individuals are drawn to conspiracy theories in greater depth. This list highlights several of the most common and compelling reasons behind such beliefs.
10. The Desire to Make Sense of Complex Events
The world is intricate, and so are many of the events we encounter daily. This complexity can lead to feelings of powerlessness and disconnection. At the same time, searching for patterns that provide order out of apparent chaos can offer a much-needed sense of comfort. People want to know the truth and make sense of things. As author and educational consultant Kendra Cherry explains, conspiracy theorists seek consistency. Inconsistencies or contradictions in information can be overwhelming, so some individuals look for what they believe are the hidden causes behind public events. By uncovering these supposed secrets, they feel empowered to protect themselves from unseen agendas and deliberate deception.
Traumatic events often trigger the formation of conspiracy theories, notes Kelly M. Greenhill, political science professor and director of the Tufts International Relations Program. These events create a need to “process and impose order on frightening and inexplicable occurrences.” Conspiracy theories in this context function similarly to rumors or unfounded information. However, believers tend to accept incomplete or deceptive information as truth, satisfying their desire to be informed. By “filling in gaps” and offering emotional relief, these theories help people cope with fear and uncertainty by providing shared explanations for troubling events.
9. The Excitement of a Thrilling Narrative
Although life can be intricate, it can also feel mundane, especially when science has already explained much of the natural world. For some, having exclusive knowledge of the 'truth' behind unusual or sinister events, while others remain in the dark, can be a thrilling experience. The excitement of holding such insider information can resemble the thrill of a game, much like the QAnon conspiracy theory provided to its followers.
As Sandra Silva Casabianca and Traci Pedersen highlight in an online psychology article, conspiracy theorists often share certain personality traits. These may include paranoid thinking, eccentricity, distrust of others, a desire to feel unique, a belief in a dangerous world, and seeing patterns where there may be none. Additionally, they may experience schizotypy, characterized by magical thinking, dissociative episodes, disorganized thoughts, and psychosis. Conspiracy theorists may also exhibit narcissistic, disagreeable, Machiavellian traits and an openness to new experiences.
Such individuals often find excitement in the pursuit or game-like experience, a characteristic that, according to the authors, contributed to the popularity of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Followers of this theory believe that an anonymous government insider, 'Q,' releases mysterious messages and puzzles to expose a covert 'deep state.' This allows followers to feel they are part of an investigation, decoding cryptic clues and unmasking their enemies—whom they believed Donald Trump was secretly battling. The authors suggest that being part of the conspiracy gave QAnon followers the dopamine boost akin to 'leveling up' in a video game.
8. The Desire to Be Part of a Unique Group
In a world where neighbors may never meet or interact and where people often feel alienated, loneliness and social isolation can become overwhelming. As an online article points out, recent studies show that individuals in such situations—especially those in marginalized groups—may seek to create their own understanding of reality, rather than accept the views held by the larger society. This tendency is also mirrored in online communities. By doing so, these individuals build a 'shared reality' that provides them with a sense of belonging. This sense of affiliation is often reinforced by the positive self-perceptions of the group and its members.
The human desire to belong is often shaped by the natural tendency to connect with others who share similar opinions and beliefs, which results in the formation of groups that are segregated from those with differing perspectives. As noted in a University of Cambridge online article, this division effectively isolates conspiracy theorists from a wide range of worldviews. Similarly, online communities create an echo chamber that filters out views contradicting the group's beliefs. This dynamic fosters an adversarial mentality of 'us' versus 'them,' hindering meaningful dialogue while strengthening the group's commitment to its own viewpoint.
1. A Deficit of Trust and Growing Anomie
A lack of trust plays a crucial role in people's tendency to believe in conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theorists often mistrust the media, question the motives of politicians, and disregard the expertise of professionals. They believe that these sources may have hidden agendas that challenge the 'truth,' spread false narratives, or promote alternative views that conflict with their own convictions or what they perceive as undeniable 'truth.'
Linked to this distrust is anomie, a term described by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Ph.D., as the pervasive sense that things are deteriorating. This feeling may stem from actions deliberately aimed at denying or distorting the truth. The danger of such distrust lies in its fallacy—confusing correlation with causation. Such deep-seated, unfounded suspicion can perpetuate a vicious cycle, where a lack of trust breeds 'conspiratorial beliefs,' further fueling suspicion.
6. Pareidolia
Pareidolia, the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns in random occurrences, such as associating unrelated stimuli, might explain why some individuals develop conspiracy theories. This could be due to their psychological need for certainty and security, which remains unfulfilled. Zara Abrams suggests that by explaining these events, even if just for their own satisfaction, such individuals feel a sense of control rather than helplessness.
Those who place their trust in conspiracy theories often exhibit traits identified by Casabianca and Pedersen, particularly regarding schizotypy. For example, Abrams refers to a Washington Post article highlighting that QAnon followers interpret the number 17, the letter Q's position in the alphabet, as a secret message from President Trump whenever he mentions the number 17.
5. Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret information in ways that confirm pre-existing beliefs, reinforcing these views. A Psychology Today article explains how this bias helps conspiracy theorists believe in events and behaviors that the majority, including experts, dismiss. It stems from the idea that people only “see” what aligns with their beliefs, actively seeking and accepting “evidence” that supports their views while ignoring contradictory information. This explains why people are drawn to online communities that mirror their biases.
4. Political Ideology
Political ideology is behind certain conspiracy theories, such as the belief that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and faked his birth certificate, or that hybrid lizard-humans control the U.S. government (and possibly other nations). Sandy Bauers discusses this in an article for
Bauers spoke with two of the co-authors of Creating Conspiracy Beliefs: How Our Thoughts Are Shaped. Dolores Albarracín, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, shared insights into how political motives drive conspiracy theories and why many of these theories thrive.
Jamieson explains that media outlets supporting specific candidates often promote and validate conspiracy theories that resonate with their audience's political views. Albarracín notes that the primary motivation for believing in these theories is the desire for social acceptance. However, she also highlights the importance of a 'source of social influence,' such as major news outlets, in fostering belief in these ideas. The reduction of anxiety also plays a role in supporting conspiracy beliefs.
3. Evolutionary Byproducts
If evolutionary psychologists are correct, individuals who subscribe to conspiracy theories may not be entirely responsible for their beliefs. To echo William Shakespeare, the blame may not lie within themselves or even the stars, but rather in the evolutionary journey of Homo sapiens. In other words, we can lay the blame at Mother Nature’s feet.
To start, it's important to clarify a point. An article explains that 'evolutionary psychologists differentiate between adaptations and by-products as distinct outcomes of evolutionary processes.' Adaptations are functional solutions to survival and reproduction challenges that arise through natural selection, whereas by-products do not address adaptive problems and have no inherent function. These by-products are simply carried along with adaptive mechanisms. A key example of an adaptation is the umbilical cord, while the navel is a related by-product.
Similarly, it seems that the cultural sphere evolved in a comparable fashion, and it is plausible that conspiracy theories are simply 'by-product beliefs.' Although the abilities for pattern recognition, agency detection, and threat management that underpin conspiracy theories undoubtedly have survival value, they may also render individuals more 'susceptible' to such beliefs. In the distant past, conspiracy theories might have emerged because being 'suspicious of powerful, potentially hostile coalitions' conferred a survival advantage. Today, however, it remains questionable whether these evolutionary by-products still hold adaptive value.
2. Attitude
Michael W. Austin, Ph.D., though not a psychologist, offers an interesting perspective on why people might believe in conspiracy theories, drawing on his background as a philosophy professor at Eastern Kentucky University. Austin proposes that those with an inflated sense of their own intellectual abilities are particularly vulnerable to conspiracy theories, as they 'fail to recognize their intellectual limitations.'
Rather than assuming they know everything, especially when dealing with complex, highly technical, or scientific subjects, such individuals should reflect on why they, as laypeople, believe they can correctly identify outliers in a field over the consensus of experts. They should also question whether their opinions are influenced by confirmation bias or shaped by their political, ethical, or religious convictions.
Furthermore, Austin suggests that one way to guard against falling for conspiracy theories is to cultivate intellectual humility, recognizing the limits of one's own knowledge. It may also be wise to rely on experts in areas that demand specialized knowledge.
1. Uncritical Acceptance
Despite the complete lack of evidence supporting the claims of the chemtrails conspiracy theorists, many who persist in believing it not only overlook the absence of proof but also dismiss the presence of facts that directly contradict their beliefs. David Keith’s Research Group outlined the conspiracy theorists' views: they assert that a covert operation is underway to 'spray materials from aircraft.' However, the author of the Research Group's study points out that these theorists ignore the facts, such as the enormous scale of the program needed to manufacture, load, and distribute materials, as well as the involvement of thousands or even tens of thousands of people. This would make it virtually impossible to maintain secrecy, especially if the conspiracy had harmful intentions. Instead, it seems the conspiracy theorists simply choose to distrust their government.
Moreover, proponents of the chemtrail theory make observations without considering their relevance to their beliefs. For instance, they claim that chemtrails appear 'different,' yet they fail to compare this appearance with other jet exhaust trails to see if there is any real distinction. Even if there is a difference, they make no effort to explore what that might mean.
In summary, those who subscribe to this conspiracy theory (and others) tend to accept the theory’s claims without scrutiny, taking them at face value regardless of the contradictory facts or evidence that might be presented.
Rather than logic, emotion may be a key reason why some individuals cling to their beliefs, even in the absence of evidence supporting them. According to Joe Pierre, M.D., psychologists have found that those who believe in conspiracy theories often experience a 'need for certainty' or a 'need for closure.' This is referred to as a 'teleologic bias'—the tendency to believe that everything occurs for a greater purpose.
