I've often wondered why people believe b@tsh!t crazy theories in the age of information where encyclopedic information and vetted news sources are available literally on their person.
I believe part of it is it is difficult to squash crazy conspiracy theories in the information age when there is no longer any hurdle to publishing. Anyone can publish anything at this point.
And part of it is people want to believe this crazy stuff.
Why do people want to believe these conspiracy theories where any basic fact check (snopes.com, etc) is available and can show these conspiracies to be false?
This article - about a woman who was widowed when her husband developed brain cancer - gives some insights into the incentive people have in believing conspiracy theories.
She desperately wanted to believe her husband's brain cancer was caused by something - that there was a villain, an action she could take, and someone to blame.
Anger motivated her more than fear.
Which helps explain why people want to believe in a flat earth, pizzagate, plandemic, etc.
TLDR:
It's easier for people to believe something that angers them than deal with fear. Most people do not cope with fear and ambiguity effectively. There is an incentive to move fear and ambiguity to anger to because it generates perception of control, even if the action the person then takes is ineffective or counter-effective to their goal.
I believe part of it is it is difficult to squash crazy conspiracy theories in the information age when there is no longer any hurdle to publishing. Anyone can publish anything at this point.
And part of it is people want to believe this crazy stuff.
Why do people want to believe these conspiracy theories where any basic fact check (snopes.com, etc) is available and can show these conspiracies to be false?
This article - about a woman who was widowed when her husband developed brain cancer - gives some insights into the incentive people have in believing conspiracy theories.
She desperately wanted to believe her husband's brain cancer was caused by something - that there was a villain, an action she could take, and someone to blame.
Anger motivated her more than fear.
In 2001, social psychologists Jennifer Lerner and Dacher Keltner studied how anger and fear have very different effects on how we think about ourselves and our world. Their research found that feelings of anger (compared to fear) are associated with increased feelings of certainty, control, and optimism. Especially when people contemplate “ambiguous events” — such as having a heart attack at a young age or being unable to find a job — anger translates into higher perceptions of control. Once anger triggers feelings of control, feelings of optimism follow. [emphasis added]
Which helps explain why people want to believe in a flat earth, pizzagate, plandemic, etc.
TLDR:
It's easier for people to believe something that angers them than deal with fear. Most people do not cope with fear and ambiguity effectively. There is an incentive to move fear and ambiguity to anger to because it generates perception of control, even if the action the person then takes is ineffective or counter-effective to their goal.
