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The Jordan Harbinger Show

1211: Conspiracy Theories | Skeptical Sunday

The Jordan Harbinger Show

Jordan Harbinger

Social Sciences, Self-improvement, Entrepreneurship, Talk Radio, Business, Science, Education

4.8 β€’ 12.1K Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 21 September 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Former conspiracy believer turned skeptic Michael Regilio decodes why people fall for QAnon and flat Earth here on Skeptical Sunday!

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by skeptic, comedian, and podcaster Michael Regilio!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1211

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

  • From medieval blood libel to modern QAnon, conspiracy theories follow the same template: blaming "others" for society's problems through fear and tribalism.
  • Brain chemistry drives beliefs. Higher dopamine levels and hyperactive pattern recognition make some people more susceptible to seeing conspiracies where none exist.
  • Conspiracy theories destroy families, enable harassment (like Sandy Hook parents), and inspire violence β€” they're not harmless entertainment.
  • Social needs fuel conspiracies. People believe because theories offer community, make them feel special/heroic, and provide simple answers to complex problems.
  • Critical thinking is the antidote. Question sources, demand evidence, and remember β€” real truth doesn't need secret codes or special knowledge, just logic and humility.
  • Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [email protected] and let him know!
  • Connect with Michael Regilio at TwitterInstagram, Threads, and YouTube.

And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here β€” even one sentence helps!

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Frontotemporal degeneration or FTT causes uncharacteristic personality changes, apathy, and unexplained struggles with decision-making, movement, speaking, or language comprehension.

0:13.0

It's often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, depression, and sometimes just a midlife crisis.

0:20.0

Learn more this World FTT Awareness Week by visiting

0:23.5

the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration at the AFTD.org.

0:29.9

Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at

0:34.2

audible.co.uk. U.K. slash Wondery. That's audible.com.

0:38.5

dot U.K. slash Wondery.

0:44.5

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday. I'm your host, Jordan Harbinger. Today I'm here with

0:48.7

Skeptical Sunday co-host skeptic and comedian Michael Regulio. On the Jordan Harbinger show,

0:53.5

we decode the stories, secrets, and skills of the world's most fascinating people and turn their wisdom into practical advice that you can use to impact your own life and those around you. Our mission is to help you become a better informed, more critical thinker, and during the week we have long-form conversations with a variety of amazing folks, from spies to CEOs, athletes, authors, thinkers, and performers.

1:11.6

On Sundays, though, it's skeptical Sunday where a rotating guest co-host and I break down a topic

1:15.9

you may have never thought about and debunk common misconceptions about that topic.

1:20.4

Such as why tipping makes no sense. Circumcision. E-commerce scams, diet supplements, the lottery,

1:25.9

rakey healing, ear candling.

1:46.4

Those got a lot of emails, as you might imagine. Internet, porn, hypnosis, homeopathy, and more. If you're new to the show or you want to tell your friends about the show, I suggest our episode starter packs. These are collections of our favorite episodes on persuasion, negotiation, psychology, disinformation, junk, science, crime, occult, and more. That'll help new listeners get a taste of everything we do here on the show.

1:46.4

Just visit jordanharbinger.com. psychology, disinformation, junk science, crime, occult, and more. That'll help new listeners get a taste of everything we do here on the show.

1:51.8

Just visit jordanharbinger.com slash start, or search for us in your Spotify app to get started.

1:56.6

Today on the show, seems like more and more as we scroll social media, we find out that this professional athlete thinks the earth is flat, that rapper thinks vaccines enlarged her cousin's testicles.

2:02.4

Conspiracy theories have gone from the far corners of the internet to front and center of

2:06.5

everyone's social media feed. This topic is equal parts fascinating, frustrating, and downright

2:12.3

frightening, in my opinion, from the moon landing hoax to QAnon to Jewish space lasers.

2:18.7

Why do they have to be Jewish?

...

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