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Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

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Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#41

Post by silicon2401 »

recursivedoubts wrote: post #26

> Conspiracy theories can help people defend a fragile ego by exaggerating the importance of themselves and their groups; So can identifying with the mainstream story: I'm not a crazy conspiracy theorist, I'm a serious person. > Conspiracy theories can make people feel like legitimate actors by rationalizing their beliefs and behaviors; So can identifying with the mainstream story: I'm listening to the experts, every…

The term 'conspiracy theory' is one of those words that has strong, inherent connotations. It's impossible to productively discuss conspiracy theories and theorists (IMO) because of those connotations. As with so many things, rational, objective discussion is critically dependent on appropriate words and wording. Nobody would deny that elite groups have agendas and get up to shady stuff, as we have concrete evidence of this happening all the time, and even both extremes of US political parties can be called "conspiracy theorists": extreme liberals think every white person is actively and consciously out to conspire against minorities, and extreme conservatives think covid vaccines are a way for the government to install nanochips or whatever. But nobody will respond constructively to being called a conspiracy theorist, they'll just get defensive and the discussion dies as soon as it starts.

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#42

Post by marshray »

notjes wrote: post #9

Conspiring, thinking and talking about conspiracies is normal human nature. Nothing to see here.

It is human nature, but there is a lot to talk about here. Our inability to distinguish reality from fiction and propaganda is being weaponized to pry systematically at the cracks of or society and destabilize it from within.

As AI becomes even more omnipresent, mysterious, and godlike, we may find that an organized defense of our sanity becomes essential.

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#43

Post by arminiusreturns » 

    "This reasoning, however, only emphasizes how conspiracy theories helped ancestors survive in a Pleistocene environment, and does not hold implications for possible psychological benefits in present-day society [20]. If anything, the evolutionary perspective implies macro-level societal benefits, by explaining why people possess mental systems that make them sensitive to signals suggesting possible collusion. Consistent with this perspective, citizens display stronger conspiracy beliefs in high-corruption than low-corruption countries [21,22]."

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#44

Post by [deleted] »

lampshades wrote: post #21
escapedmoose wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everybody probably believes in at least one or two. Do you believe in an above-average number of them, or are there one or two conspiracy theories that you think are specifically detrimental to your life?

I believe in an above average amount. Honestly, they used to all be pretty detrimental, but now that half the country has has lost trust in the ruling class, it’s become easier for me. I’d like to mention I do not believe in obvious psyops like flat Earth or birds not being real or Q anon.

[deleted]

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#45

Post by etherael »

lampshades wrote: post #21
escapedmoose wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everybody probably believes in at least one or two. Do you believe in an above-average number of them, or are there one or two conspiracy theories that you think are specifically detrimental to your life?

I believe in an above average amount. Honestly, they used to all be pretty detrimental, but now that half the country has has lost trust in the ruling class, it’s become easier for me. I’d like to mention I do not believe in obvious psyops like flat Earth or birds not being real or Q anon.

Birds not being real? What on earth?

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#46

Post by silicon2401 »

jamal-kumar wrote: post #8

There's an author, Robert Anton Wilson, who started writing an influential novel called the Illuminatus trilogy which is a pretty fun read but basically if the whole point of his work was anything it would be that if you aren't doing something of your own kind of conspiracy and you're instead obsessing over real or imagined conspiracies that other people are doing, you're wasting your time. It's a fun thing to tell s…

> if you aren't doing something of your own kind of conspiracy and you're instead obsessing over real or imagined conspiracies that other people are doing, you're wasting your time

That's an incredibly practical insight IMO. It's true: the more you focus on achieving your own goals, the less you care about what else is going on in the world; the most that you care about is overcoming obstacles, but that's the case regardless of whether they're caused by other people's conspiracy plots or random accidents (at least that's the case for me).

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#47

Post by nineplay »

anonym29 wrote: post #35
photochemsyn wrote: post #2

Consider the following theory: > "There's an all-powerful, all-knowing entity watching everything you do and recording all your actions, and depending on that behavior you will be either rewarded with a post-life heavenly bliss, or a post-life eternal hellish punishment. A guaranteed way into heaven is absolute loyalty to your feudal lord and payment of a portion of your income to the church and its priests." Yes, th…

I'm no earthographer or planetologist, but I'm pretty confident there's a scientific way to disprove an (allegedly) flat earth.

I'm not a flat-earther, but I'll daresay you couldn't prove that everyone who claims to have proof of a round earth is lying or deceived.

It's like some (alleged) variations of the young-earth creationist theory which posits that all the fossil evidence was deliberately planted by Satan to trick the gullible and only the true-believers can see though it. That's a pretty hard one to disprove.

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#49

Post by jfengel »

recursivedoubts wrote: post #26

> Conspiracy theories can help people defend a fragile ego by exaggerating the importance of themselves and their groups; So can identifying with the mainstream story: I'm not a crazy conspiracy theorist, I'm a serious person. > Conspiracy theories can make people feel like legitimate actors by rationalizing their beliefs and behaviors; So can identifying with the mainstream story: I'm listening to the experts, every…

For whatever reason, identifying with the mainstream story isn't working for them. They feel left out and powerless.

Identifying with the conspiracy theory gives them a shortcut to power by inclusion with other conspiracy theorists. They can quickly become a large fish in a small pond. And even as the smallest fish in that pond they are already ahead of everybody who accepts the mainstream theory.

It's also useless. Conspiracy theories give one secret power that can't actually be applied. The best one could hope for is that one day everybody else will be forced to accept your conspiracy theory, which will somehow confer prestige on you. But they can live in hope of that sudden burst of importance, while simultaneously having a built-in excuse for having no importance now.

Re: Psychological Benefits of Believing in Conspiracy Theories

#50

Post by lampshades »

etherael wrote: post #45
lampshades wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe in an above average amount. Honestly, they used to all be pretty detrimental, but now that half the country has has lost trust in the ruling class, it’s become easier for me. I’d like to mention I do not believe in obvious psyops like flat Earth or birds not being real or Q anon.

Birds not being real? What on earth?

Yeah, it’s a thing. And some people actually believe it.
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