Study Ties COVID Vaccine Conspiracy Theories to Distrust of Government, Mainstream Media

Study ties COVID vaccine conspiracy theories to distrust of government, mainstream media

The researchers examine why some people believe, for example, that the vaccines contain microchips.

Believing the world is unfair may explain why some who experience adversity are drawn to conspiracy theories

Going through difficult life events does not directly push people into adopting conspiracy theories, but it can reshape how they view the fairness of the world. A new set of experiments suggests that when people experience personal hardships, they tend to view the world as an unjust place, which then makes conspiratorial ideas more appealing. These findings, published in the British Journal of Psychology, provide evidence that subjective feeling…

Why do some people feel life is so unfair? Understanding this may help explain conspiracy beliefs

HimelVector/ShutterstockMost people set out in life wanting to believe the world is fair. They expect people to wait their turn in queues, to be treated equally in their job, and to be rewarded for hard work. These expectations influence how they understand the world around them, and shape their responses to it. But what happens when life repeatedly challenges those assumptions? Psychologists have long been interested in this question. Our new r…