The Noises of Conspiracy: Psychology of Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories

Resumen

In this review, more than 10 years of research in conspiracy theory beliefs is summarised. As conspiracy theories have these past years invaded the public domain in the whole world, a trend which culminated during COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of psychologists investigated their antecedents and consequences. In this review, I expose and discuss the definitions, the rationality, the consequences, the measures, the potential causes, and some remedies against the proliferation of conspiracy theory beliefs. The potential causes are classified in five categories. The societal-political category (social inequalities and political extremism), the social category (intergroup competition), the personal (psychopathological) category (personality traits, such as paranoia, schizotypy, narcissism, etc.), the cognitive (irrational) category (cognitive biases and other irrational beliefs), and the communicational category (communication via Internet and social media, and narrative appeal).

Áreas y palabras clave

Cómo citar (APA 7)

Wagner-Egger, P. (2022). The Noises of Conspiracy: Psychology of Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/fv52e