Why do people believe in conspiracies?

One of the reasons why some people believe in these theories is the desire to feel different.

There is a large number of people (although statistically a minority), who have conspiracy-type beliefs. These people interpret different events in a different way than the majority, not accepting the official version and looking for an alternative vision that may be more or less viable.

Some of these theories are viable, while others are outlandish and implausible. Why people believe in conspiracies is something that has been investigated on numerous occasions, and some factors have been found that may have led to conspiracy theories.and some factors have been found that may have an effect on the likelihood of believing in them. In this article we make a brief reference to some of them.

What are conspiracy theories?

To understand why people believe in conspiracy theories, we must first be clear about what a conspiracy theory is. It is defined as such any theory or elaborate belief that deals with the association of different people and/or organizations whose link aims to achieve the manipulation of events to achieve their objectives, with no regard for the majority opinion and often being this objective or the means to achieve or hide it something that negatively affect the rest of the population, a part of it or even a specific individual.

Generally, these theories are based on the elaboration of a concrete interpretation of some phenomenon, going beyond the empirically proven and contrasted facts and data.. The event in question on which they are based may have already occurred, may occur in the future or may be considered to be occurring at the present time.

It should be noted that these theories do not appear out of nowhere: they are based on some kind of real event that is interpreted in an alternative way. In some cases they resemble the delusions of various mental disorders, their content not being their content is not supported by empirical evidence (although some elements are considered as proof of the theory), they are not shared by the majority and are usually fixed and impervious to change, often considering that those who deny them may be part of the conspiracy.

Often, the maintenance and belief in these theories can generate alterations and repercussions in the life of the subject and even in that of other people, such as avoiding exposure to certain stimuli even though they may be beneficial (e.g. vaccines), being the object of ridicule and criticism, making social interaction difficult or even causing the complete isolation of the person (either because the person isolates him/herself or because of social rejection). It can also hinder academic or work performance, depending on the case.

Not all conspiracy theories are the same. Some conspiracy theories include fantasy or science fiction elements, while others are relatively plausible.Some conspiracy theories include elements of fantasy or science fiction, while others are relatively plausible and may arise from the interpretation of real events. In fact, although the vast majority are usually false or a misrepresentation of real facts, some theories initially considered conspiracy theories or the product of delusions have proven to be real, as happened with Martha Mischel with the Watergate case and corruption in Nixon's time, the existence of the Jewish Holocaust or the MK Ultra project.

Factors linked to the belief in conspiracy theories.

While many of these theories are very interesting, as a general rule, they are not believed by the majority of the population.. Although some are defended by more or less collectives and individuals, statistically speaking there are few who believe them to be true, support them and defend them.

It is worth asking what makes these people believe in one or more conspiracy theories, if there are common aspects that facilitate the belief in theories that are not widely shared and for which there is often no palpable and irrefutable evidence (which in turn in many of these theories is considered proof of their concealment). In this sense, different investigations have been carried out in this regard. Some of the factors that have been found to be linked to this type of conspiracy beliefs are the following. conspiracy beliefs are the following.

1. Perceptual differences

Some studies show that people who believe in supernatural phenomena and conspiracy theories considered irrational (although we are talking about a non-clinical population, without psychopathology) tend to have certain differences with respect to those who do not in terms of the perception of patterns. This perception is what makes us identify facts and stimuli based on a previously acquired pattern or stimulus, making associations between the two.

In the case of those who believe conspiracy theories, they tend to identify illusory patterns more easily than the rest of the population, linking elements that are not necessarily linked and considering that they have cause-effect relationships between them. In other words, they have a greater tendency to connect stimuli and elements that are considered as associated even when their occurrence is random. This has been observed in investigations in which the perception of patterns in the presentation of visual stimuli has been worked, tending to make more recognition of supposed patterns.

2. Need for control/Intolerance to uncertainty

Some of the people who choose to believe in this type of theories reflect a strong need to control or manage uncertainty in the face of events. a strong need for control or to manage uncertainty in the face of events for which they do not find for which they cannot find an explanation or for which the existing explanation does not convince them. Human beings tend to seek to give structure to the world and the events that occur in it, and conspiracy theories could supply this need in the absence of an explanation that is more in line with their own schemes.

Likewise, people who have little sense of control over what they experience are more likely to believe that someone else is in control of situations.

3. Life events and learning

Another factor to take into account is the existence of high levels of stress, the specific events we have lived through in our personal history and the learning we have done throughout our lives. For example, it is easier to believe in a conspiracy on the part of the government if we consider that the government has defrauded, deceived or used us on some occasion. It has been observed that situations of intense and continuous stress also facilitate the belief in conspiracy theories..

Also the upbringing and the type of beliefs to which we have been exposed in childhood. For example, if we do not believe in aliens it will be difficult to believe that a species from outer space is invading us, or if someone has grown up with people who defended a certain theory it will be easier (although it is not decisive) for that belief to be considered true.

4. Need for distinction

Another of the elements that can motivate the belief in this type of theories is, according to different studies and research carried out by the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, the need for distinction or the need to feel unique. It is important to keep in mind that this need does not have to be conscious.

Research in this regard was carried out through the completion of several scales that measured the importance of being unique and different and the belief in conspiracies and the control of others over the behavior and events we experience. Subjects were then exposed to a list of different conspiracy theories to indicate whether they believed any of them to be true. In another experiment, such a theory was even created to observe whether or not it was believed and whether or not it was linked to the need for differentiation. Even after indicating this fact.

The results showed that in a large percentage of cases people who believed in conspiracies or had a mindset that facilitated their belief had a higher level of need for differentiation. possessed a higher level of need for distinctiveness and uniqueness.. The data obtained from these studies indicate that the need to feel different and unique has an existing and considered significant effect on the belief in conspiracy theories, although it is an effect that occurs at a modest level that does not govern or determine the belief itself.

Likewise, it was observed that the popularity of the theory itself did not affect the majority of participants with the exception of those who ascribed to a large number of these (reducing their level of belief the more popular it was). In the latter cases there would be a greater need for attention and to feel different.