There is a large number of people (although statistically it is a minority), which has conspiratorial beliefs. These people interpret the different events in a different way in most of the time, not accepting the official version and looking for an alternative vision that may be more or less viable.
Some of these theories are viable, while others are bizarre and implausible. Why people believe and conspiracy is something that has been investigated on numerous occasions, have found some factors that may have an effect on the likelihood of believing in them. In this article we make a brief reference to some of them.
To understand why we believe in conspiracy theories, we must first be clear about what a conspiracy theory is. It is defined as such any elaborate theory or belief that is about the association of different people and / or agencies whose link aims to achieve the manipulation of events to achieve their objectives, back to the majority opinion and often being said objective or means to achieve it or to hide it something that negatively affects the rest of the population, a part of it or even a specific individual.
Generally, these theories are based on the elaboration of a concrete interpretation of some phenomenon, going beyond the facts and data verified and empirically contrasted. The event in question on which they are based may have already occurred, may occur in the future or may be considered to be occurring at this time.
We must bear in mind that these theories do not appear from nowhere: they start from some kind of real event that is interpreted in an alternative way. In some cases they resemble delusions typical of different mental disorders, their content not supported by empirical evidence (although some elements are considered as evidence of the theory), are not shared by the majority and are usually fixed and impervious to change, often considering that whoever denies them can become part of the conspiracy.
Often, the maintenance and belief in these theories can generate alterations and repercussions in the life of the subject and even in that of other people, such as avoiding exposure to certain stimuli even though they may be beneficial (for example, vaccines). Object of ridicule and criticism, hindering social interaction or even provoking the complete isolation of the person (either because the same person isolates himself or because of social rejection). It can also hinder academic or work performance, depending on the case.
Not all conspiracy theories are the same. Some of these theories include fantasy elements or those of science fiction, while others are relatively plausible and can arise from the interpretation of real events. In fact, although the vast majority are often false or a misrepresentation of real facts, some theories initially considered conspiratorial or product of delusions have proven to be real, as happened with Martha Mischel with the Watergate case and corruption in Nixon's time, the existence of the Jewish Holocaust or the MK Ultra project.
Although many of these theories are very interesting, as a general rule they are not believed by the majority of the population. Although some are defended by more or less collectives and people, statistically speaking there are few who consider them true, support and defend them.
One might ask what it is that makes these people believe in one or several conspiracy theories, if there are common aspects that facilitate that it is created in little shared theories and from which there is often no palpable and irrefutable evidence (what to its time in many of these theories is considered a proof of its concealment). In this sense, different investigations have been carried out in this regard. Some of the factors that have been linked to this type of conspiracy are the following.
Some studies show that people who believe in supernatural phenomena and conspiracy theories considered irrational (although we are talking about nonclinical population, without psychopathology) tend to have certain differences with respect to those that do not refer to the perception of patterns . This perception is what makes us identify events and stimuli based on a previously acquired pattern or stimulus, making associations between both.
In the case of those who create conspiracy theories, they would tend more easily than the rest of the population to identify illusory patterns, linking elements that are not necessarily linked and considering that they have cause-effect relationships between them. In other words, they have a greater tendency to connect stimuli and elements that are considered as associated even when their appearance is random. This has been observed in research in which the perception of patterns has been worked on with the presentation of visual stimuli, tending to make more recognition of supposed patterns. Some of the people who decide to believe in this type of theories reflect a strong need for control or to handle uncertainty in the face of events for which they do not find an explanation or the existing explanation does not finish convincing them. The human being tends to seek to give a structure to the world and the events that occur in it, and conspiracy theories could supply this need in the absence of an explanation that agrees more with the schemes themselves.
Also, people who have little sense of control over what they live are often more likely to believe that it is another person who directs situations.
Another factor to be taken into account is the existence of high levels of stress, the specific events that we have experienced in our personal history and the learning we have done throughout our lives. For example, it is easier to believe in a conspiracy on the part of the government if we consider that it has let us down, deceived or used it on some occasion. It
has been observed that situations of intense and continuous stress also facilitate the belief in conspiracy theories.
Also the education and the type of beliefs to which we have been exposed in childhood. For example, if we do not believe in aliens, it will be difficult to believe that a species from outer space is invading us, or if someone has been raised with people defending a certain theory, it will be easier (though not decisive) for that belief to be considered true.
Another element that can motivate the belief in this type of theories is, according to different studies and research carried out by the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, the need for distinction or feeling unique. It is important to keep in mind that this need does not have to be something conscious.
The investigations in this regard were carried out through the realization of several scales that measured the importance of being unique and different and the belief in conspiracies and the alien control over the behavior and events that we live. After that the subjects were exposed to a list of different conspiracy theories to indicate if they believed that any of them was true. In another experiment, a theory of this type was even created to observe whether or not it was believed and whether this was linked to the need for differentiation or not. Even after indicating this fact.
The results indicated that in a large percentage of cases people who believe in conspiracies or had a mentality that facilitated their belief had a higher level of need for distinctiveness and uniqueness. The data obtained by these studies indicate that the need to feel different and unique has an existing effect and considered significant in the belief in conspiracy theories, although it is an effect that occurs at a modest level that does not govern or determine the belief per se.
Likewise, it was observed that the popularity of the theory in itself did not affect the majority of the participants, with the exception of those who subscribed to a large number of them (reducing their level of belief the more popular it was). In these latter cases there would be a greater need for attention and feeling different.
Extraterrestrials hidden among us, the real murder of JFK, vaccines that generate cancer, 11-S or the famous chemtrails of the planes that spray the population … All belong to the collective imagination and have become famous precisely because they are popular conspiracy theories and almost part of pop culture even though most are easily dismountable by applying logic or facts. But why are there people who believe in these conspiracy theories?
Although we have the image in the head of the typical weird kid that does not just fit like the typical conspirator, the truth is that there are many people without apparent social or psychic problems that are fervent believers of these theories. In general, the processes that lead us to perceive theories as truths are the same for the news we see on television but it depends on our character and our ideology to accept it more easily or reject it in different degrees. The conspiracyists have several keys in common. On the one hand they need to feel unique and different, this fact is also a key factor in the Hollywood of the 90s, the weird kid who holds the key to saving the world, in general it is repeated a lot in the post-modern storytelling (both in films and books) with which we are predisposed to accept that maybe the truth is hidden for political or economic reasons.
For example, a study conducted by the Political Research Quarterly in the United States suggests that people whose political candidate loses in an election are much more likely to reason that loss through conspiracy theories.
Conspiracy theories tend to be designed so that they take advantage of the way we process information; a perfect example is the documentary "Operation Moon", it is a documentary issued on the day of the innocents of 2002 that supposedly proves with facts many of the most repeated theories about the lies of the moon landing in 1969, at the end of it explain that everything they have told us is false, and they have done it by altering the facts giving us reasons to distrust, for example, putting before the camera supposed eminences in physics or people of NASA telling us that Stanley Kubrick was in charge (in that era premiered in 2001: an odyssey in space) or explaining physics in a way that makes sense of the discourse that one wants to give, that is; manipulate science to give those people who do not know physical reasons to believe in the falsity of what is alluded to.
Another very typical example is that of the theory of explosions of the twin towers (it is said that they were explosives placed by the FBI and not the planes that crashed, which caused the towers to give way); a theory that every architect denies possible and branded as crazy, but that did not prevent several pseudoscientific gurus proclaim their truth, what we nowadays know as "post truth" or false truth, whose purpose is to establish an idea in the mind of the people who make them distrust official discourse.
Our brain has evolved over millennia facing death, therefore, paranoia is somehow diluted within our natural survival instincts. For example, being alone at home at night and listening to the wood creak: our brain interprets a possible threat and generates fear, even though we try to stay rational and see that nothing has happened, our brain is already on alert.
But in addition to paranoia one of the fundamental elements for us to believe in conspiracy theories is in the patterns of meaning, if a series of seemingly non-causal facts come together and generate a logic for what we want to refute, it is possible that we end up seeing things where there are none, that our brain looks for patterns that give meaning to a reality that maybe does not have it, and that sometimes reality is much more complex and casual than we think.
In addition, our vision of the world is fundamental for each one of us and, normally, telling us that we are wrong does not feel good and does not generate motivation to try to discern whether we are right or not. Quite the contrary; we refuse to the idea that we are wrong and we refute ourselves looking for information that supports our idea and that demonstrates that we are right, therefore, we seek ideas according to our interpretation of the world and people who agree with us, something that Internet has favored.
There is no nonsense, in fact, there are conspiracy theories for everything, even those who believe that the earth is flat, yes, it is not a joke, they are a legal and widespread association of people who deny that the earth is a planet round that revolves around the sun but a flat table of earth and water and give their explanations for it.
In short, it is our brain and the way we perceive reality that makes us tend to believe some or other theories, although some are terribly outlandish and illogical.