Conspiracy theorists see the world differently than other people and tend to see patterns where there are none. Many researchers have long been inclined to this idea, but sufficiently large-scale studies have not yet been conducted.
Why do people believe in conspiracy theories
Reasons for believing in conspiracy theories are more complicated than they seem, according to new research.
First, it is mythical thinking. Every person has it, but it is developed to a greater extent in children and people with different emotional characteristics. Through mythical thinking, we try to explain to ourselves the complex events in the world around us not with real reasons, but with those myths that we believe in and add up in our inner world, based on our own experience, emotional experiences, upheavals, and traumas.
Research shows that crisis situations are fertile ground for the emergence of conspiracy theories. For many people it is psychologically more comfortable to see the world as a consequence of the intrigues of some kind of hostile groups.
It has also been reported that those who believed deeply in the theories tended to exhibit insecurity, paranoia, and impulsiveness, in addition to excessive emotional volatility, suspicion, withdrawal, manipulative, egocentric, and eccentric nature.
