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Mete11uscimber t1_j9hp5de wrote

I'm glad that they took a sample from a country other than the US. We seem to have a high percentage of conspiracy theorists compared to other countries, so that's a good control method. I don't think they broke any new ground on the topic as it's pretty obvious that the belief in conspiracy theories tends to stem from fear, but it is an interesting read nonetheless.

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WildAppearance t1_j9jdnfy wrote

That isn't exactly what they found, though. They found that emotional dysregulation is correlated with belief in conspiracy theories. They specifically did not propose a cause, instead saying more research is needed.

I'll just repeat what always has to be said when scientists study the "obvious": it's still worth studying rigorously, and tbh I don't know of any other studies that touch on this specific correlation.

I'd also disagree that this study suggests that "fear" is the root cause of why people fall for conspiracy theories. Fear is a universal human emotion, but not everybody is a conspiracy theorist. Rather, inability or lack of learned skill in regulating emotions in general is what predicts susceptibility to conspiracy theories. Based on my own anecdotal experiences I could guess that the inability to regulate emotions like anger and sadness are also important in making someone susceptible to conspiracy thinking.

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squanchaay t1_j9jigfx wrote

And excitement. I can imagine how momentum can build in someones mind when they hear satisfying, simple points being made for something truthfully boring or complex.

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LandmassWave t1_ja50a7f wrote

>We seem to have a high percentage of conspiracy theorists compared to other countries

We've been lied to by our institutions too many times.

The reason I don't buy into BD911, or we didn't land on the moon, is because the conspiracy would be too hard to execute.

It sure isn't that the government has earned the benefit of the doubt.

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