An unexpected study results show that individuals who tend to be bullied at work have higher risks of being engaged in conspiracy theories or even having paranoia.
A team of specialists has found a link between workplace bullying and engagement in various conspiracy theories.
Let's find out more.
The unusual study
The research suggests that workplace neglect or bullying and various conspiracy beliefs may share similar factors, such as lack of trust and feelings of paranoia.
The work builds on previous test results that show that life experiences can increase a person's trust to the conspiracy theories.
Two experiments were carried out, the first involving over 270 participants, which demonstrated a positive association between workplace bullying and conspiracy beliefs.
The second one, with 205 individuals, asked individuals to imagine workplace bullying, leading to increased belief in conspiracies.
Why is it important?
Dr. Daniel Jolley highlights the importance of understanding how these conspiracy beliefs form to develop ways to tackle them and also support victims of this bullying.
The study emphasizes the potential negative impact of conspiracy beliefs on societal harmony.
