Why people believe in conspiracy theories, with Karen Douglas, PhD

Speaking of Psychology

Kim Mills

Health & Fitness, Life Sciences, Science, Mental Health

4.3 • 781 Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2021

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This past year, COVID-19 and the U.S. elections have provided fertile ground for conspiracy theories—with sometimes disastrous consequences. Karen Douglas, PhD, of the University of Kent in the United Kingdom, discusses psychological research on how conspiracy theories start, why they persist, who is most likely to believe them and whether there is any way to combat them effectively. Are you enjoying Speaking of Psychology? We’d love to know what you think of the podcast, what you would change about it, and what you’d like to hear more of. Please take our listener survey at www.apa.org/podcastsurvey. Links Karen Douglas, PhD APA Monitor on Psychology Music Futuristic Suspense Ambience by tyops via freesound.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:32.6	Over the past year, as COVID-19 rocketed around the world,
0:36.6	conspiracy theories quickly followed.
0:39.1	Last spring, dozens of cell phone towers were set aflame across Europe amid conspiracy theories
0:43.9	that the 5G towers were spreading COVID-19.
0:47.2	In January, a Wisconsin pharmacist was charged with deliberately destroying hundreds of doses
0:51.6	of the newly available COVID-19 vaccine because he believed
0:54.9	a conspiracy theory that the vaccine would change human DNA. And some people are asserting
1:00.0	that the virus itself was engineered by the Chinese. These aren't the only conspiracy theories
1:05.1	making inroads right now. A September Pew Research Center survey found that more than half of
1:10.1	Americans have heard at least a little about QAnon,
1:12.6	the complicated web of pro-Trump conspiracy theories that originated on the message board for Chan.
1:18.6	In November, two candidates who voiced support for Q&N theories were elected to Congress.
1:23.6	So how do conspiracy theories like these get started and why do they persist?
	...

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