How to Reduce the Risks Associated with Belief in Conspiracy Theories
The solution to problems that emerge from belief in conspiracy theories is difficult to develop and implement given the societal and human psychology-based etiology of these beliefs. When groups bond together and find meaning and purpose in these conspiracy theories, attempting to demonstrate how ridiculous these beliefs are is, in essence, attacking their sense of self, and their group affinity. Often, no amount of fact-based convincing and scientific evidence from experts and leaders will penetrate that barrier – these individuals want and need to believe it. However, based on the research, here are some short and long-term potential solutions:
Short term: While people are free to believe conspiracy theories, they must be held accountable if they cause damage and break the law as a result
If conspiracy theory makers or believers cause damage as a result of these beliefs, they must be held accountable. An example of this approach is the case of Jake Anjeli, also known as the “QAnon Sharman” who was amongst the group that stormed the Capital on January 6th, 2021. The message sent in his prosecution is that it is ok to believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory, but it is not acceptable to justify breaking the law in its defense. Similarly, with the far-right conspiracy theorist creator, Alex Jones (noted above), propagating conspiracy theories that harm people will likely results in lawsuits.
Clearly, the hundreds of people who stormed the US Capitol on January 6th, based on conspiracy theories propagated by political leaders and their attorneys, will also be held accountable – there must be consequences for harmful acts based on belief in these conspiracy theories. In organizational settings, employees who foster conspiracy gossiping that damages productivity and undermines leadership credibility should be held accountable.
Long-term: Learning analytical thinking
Education levels, and analytical thinking skills in particular, predict who is more likely to believe conspiracy theories: “People with high education are less likely than people with low education to believe in conspiracy theories”. (National Institute of Health, nd2) As we have already noted, Jay Cullen (2018) has observed that there are people who reject scientific expertise a priori and cannot be brought to change their opinion, even in the face of factual information from credible experts and leaders. Van Prooijen suggests that “improving people’s capacity to recognize when conspiratorial allegations are implausible” is critical to mitigating this problem. Indeed, “… increasing rationality and offering rational arguments may help in reducing their appeal… Analytic thinking reduces the tendency to believe conspiracy theories, and, consistently, efforts to stimulate analytic thinking (e.g., education) are associated with decreased conspiracy beliefs.
Van Prooijen continues: “Consistently, research found that education level is associated with disbelief in paranormal phenomena, a finding that was mediated by analytic thinking—that is, deliberative and conscious information processing. These arguments are relevant for belief in conspiracy theories, which is correlated with belief in paranormal phenomena.”
Clearly, improving analytical thinking and logic skills in large populations is a long-term strategy, however, given the potential damage that conspiracy theories can cause, even when refuted by the most trusted experts and scientists in the world, this long game is essential.
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