Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?
Conspiracy theories are just as their name implies, theories. Their popularity has as much to do with how our brains are wired as well as the societies in which we live.
As old as time itself
In one form or another, conspiracy theories have been around for almost as long as time itself. History is filled with examples as far back as the 1st century, though the term as we know it today probably didn’t exist then. There is even a conspiracy theory or two that in the 1960s the CIA invented the term ‘conspiracy theory’ around the time of John F Kennedy’s assassination. It’s understood however that the term was first used in the late 19th century.
A conspiracy theory is the belief that a malevolent person or group (usually politically motivated) is out to subvert an otherwise innocuous process for personal gain.
A very brief story of evolution
Our brains are not nearly as evolved as the time in which we live. Technologically speaking, the world has, and will always evolve exponentially yet our brains evolve in a linear fashion. This creates a degree of disharmony between where our brains are, evolutionary speaking, versus the world around us. The human brain is hard-wired to find order and meaning in things and this disharmony drives us to want to make sense of our environment. It’s not in our human nature to feel comfortable with things that don’t make sense. We as humans have a thirst for knowledge but that knowledge needs to be processed so we can find meaning and certainty in it otherwise we aren’t able form a stable, consistent and agreeable understanding of the world. Once this knowledge has been processed to find meaning and certainty, we’re able to feel safe and secure knowing that our world makes sense to us.
The human brain’s need to make sense of the world is why one of the most used story or narrative arcs in entertainment follows a set formula: normality, pursuit of goal, obstacles encountered in attaining said goal, attainment of goal, resolution. It’s this formulaic pattern that offers us a logical conclusion to a particular matter and why we’re able to understand and accept the journey our minds have undertaken. This is why the term ‘closure’ exists when thinking about emotional issues. The brain has an inherent need to make sense of things in order to process, accept, and move onto the next task.
This ubiquitous narrative pattern is so successful because its in perfect alignment with how we think and precisely why conspiracy theories may, on the surface, appear to offer logical resolution when in fact they end up potentially creating more internal discord the longer we ruminate on them. On a deeper level they fail to make sense to us because unlike the previously mentioned structured narrative arc, conspiracy theories are fragments of information from many unrelated and opposing sources. It’s very difficult for us to make sense of conflicting information because we have a need for information that offers certainty and is in agreement with our morals and values. We’re programmed to filter information not on whether it’s true but rather on how it is of perceived value or importance to us as individuals. Storing information that is of personal importance comes down to survival of the fittest. Important information allows us to make informed decisions about our lives which allows us to survive.
Identity
Confirmation bias plays a big part in what makes conspiracy theories so popular. It’s human nature to want to hold onto a certain way of thinking because that way of thinking corroborates our own long-held moral and ethical belief system. It may be this confirmation bias that makes it so difficult to quash conspiracy theories once they’re out in the open. Once a point of view fits with our core belief system, it’s extremely difficult to change that point of view because changing it would mean re-evaluating and altering our belief system which invariably challenges our identity. This goes against our brain’s need for order and reason. Conflicting information that challenges our identity and core belief system requires too much energy to process, albeit mental, and this isn’t how we as animals are programmed. We’re programmed to conserve energy wherever possible.
Belonging
Conspiracy theories by nature are speculative which is why they continue to present such polarising opinions — they’re a vast collection of the population’s thoughts and musings on various topics. Herein lies the reason why conspiracy theories, without educational intervention, will likely be around for as long as humankind itself. They are simply theories which, due to their very nature offer no logical resolution to an issue and so the human brain continues to try to make sense of a particular theory… then gets thrown a curve ball and goes off on a tangent after reading or hearing someone else’s theory… tries to make sense of that theory and how it might or might not fit with the original one, and so continues a circular thought process with no end until the theory loses appeal, or more commonly, morphs into some other closely related theory. It’s for this reason they appear initially attractive to those who are drawn to them but usually result in a false sense of satisfaction because they rarely offer any form of conflict resolution.
People who find it difficult to identify with ‘normal’ society or feel as though they don’t fit in with the world may feel more drawn to conspiracy theories because believing in these theories offers acceptance into a perceived elite group. Belonging to an elite group satisfies the human need for self-worth and lets us see ourselves as having value in ‘exclusive’ information, thereby giving us an advantage over others who appear not to hold this information. This comes back to survival of the fittest. In modern times, information is power.
To varying degrees we all feel the need to belong but belief in conspiracy theories is often self-defeating. Initially they would appear to offer the individual some clarity and reason but conversely have the potential to be counter-productive. They are possibly a form of defence mechanism towards a perceived threat which affords a person a coping mechanism with which to make sense of their world. What believing in conspiracy theories appears to offer in solace can ultimately result in further alienation from the world because these theories are not founded on generally accepted beliefs. They’re broad generalisations of unfounded information and choosing to believe could be seen as an indirect form of control over the lack of understanding of one’s environment. Believing in them creates harmony for the individual in an otherwise disharmonious, out-of-control situation and this is exactly what our brains naturally strive to do.
Tackling conspiracy theories and disinformation
There is a large percentage of the world’s population that has absolutely no time for conspiracy theories, branding them a load of hogwash. So why do some people choose to disregard conspiracy theories despite the need for the human brain to make sense of things? The more analytical a person’s thought process and the more able they are to think critically, the less likely the need to ruminate on unfounded information. The brain’s ability to analyse and think critically allows a person to more easily draw rational conclusions from otherwise overwhelming and seemingly unintelligible information.
In times of uncertainty and turmoil (such as with the current COVID-19 pandemic) conspiracy theories often become more popular as the human brain naturally tries to make sense of something it doesn’t understand. Acceptance of this false information tends to gain momentum proportionally according to the scale of the event in question. If an attempt was made by an organisation to try to get rid of a conspiracy theory or any source of false information for that matter, the logical way to do this would be to present whatever factual information was available on a particular topic before the conspiracy theory became popular, thereby disallowing people to draw their own conclusions. This is obviously an oversimplification and an approach which works in theory, but reality tells a different story as people will naturally choose what they want to believe. The challenge in successfully eradicating disinformation arises because people will always decide for themselves what they choose to believe based on, you guessed it, their long-held belief system, hence the importance of trying to stop false information spreading before it spirals out of control. Once this false information has taken hold in the mainstream it’s generally very difficult for people to accept a different way of thinking as this would mean accepting another belief system, incongruous with their own.
Banning free speech surrounding disinformation in an attempt to eradicate it is counterproductive. It only serves to draw attention to an issue and lead people to the conclusion that the information might actually be true, otherwise what would be the reason for trying to ban the discussion of it?
The reality of tackling false information is of course very different. The tendency for these theories to gain popularity when there’s less trust in a scientific community or political organisation and therefore less understanding of the world is natural if one thinks about how much general distrust there seems to be today of governments and giant conglomerates. This however may be a skewed observation due to the availability of and access to information. Tackling disinformation and conspiracy theories starts with education at a young age.
Responsible education
In a frenetic and digitally connected world, conspiracy theories appear to be becoming more and more popular. The availability of information in the palm of our hands gives rise to increased yet fragmented conversation and in turn, more conspiracies as people try to make sense of disharmonious societies caused by conflicting information. There is however no evidence to show that conspiracy theories are more prolific now as a result of social media, it may only be perceived that they’re on the rise due to the ease of access to this information.
Generally speaking, there is greater trust in the Nordic countries of their media and national institutions than in other societies. In 2016, two years after Russia targeted Finland with fake news stories for the first time, critical thinking literacy was introduced by the Finnish government to the national secondary school curriculum. This critical thinking strategy is applied to all subjects in the fight against propaganda and misinformation. Its purpose, to teach young children how to identify false information in a variety of guises by verifying the source of the information instead of simply accepting it at face value in line with the status quo. Part of this strategy is to remind students of the value of belonging to a (Finnish) society with a positive identity. This then puts forward the question “If I already belong to a society with a positive identity what need is there for me to seek another identity?”. The lack of ability or willingness to analyse and think critically only perpetuates the spread of false information.
There will always be those rebellious individuals who feel the need to reject principles imposed upon them by authority however this is likely to be more common in societies that don’t practise positive reinforcement in school. Positive reinforcement lets students know that their contributions in the classroom are of value. This in turn creates a harmonious, positive learning environment and one in which the student feels valued and accepted. The motive behind Finland’s critical thinking strategy is that engaging young minds in a positive, inclusive educational experience will permeate throughout young groups and arm these groups of youngsters with the mental tools needed to educate the generations below them. It’s a commendable initiative, young brains are like sponges; they soak up every bit of information in an attempt to make sense of their world so why not feed them with the correct tools which enable them to discern fact from fake news?
Armed with this ability to think critically will certainly result in new generations of young adults who are able to identify and filter out propaganda and misinformation, thereby restoring balance and overcoming the tsunami of fake media noise that has the potential to be so damaging to society. To coin a phrase, prevention is better than cure but sadly this is so often only learned in hindsight. Eradicating false information from society is no walk in the park and requires diligence, determination and responsible education.
