science

25546 readers

437 users here now

A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.

dart board;; science bs

rule #1: be kind

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

m3t00@lemmy.world

Joleee@lemmy.world

laverabe@lemmy.world

DeadPand@midwest.social

laverabe@lemmy.zip

Why conspiracy theories can be so irresistible (news.flinders.edu.au)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) by Beep@lemmus.org to c/science@lemmy.world

4 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Research.

People who prefer structured, rule‑based explanations may find conspiracy theories appealing because they offer a clear, ordered explanation for events that feel chaotic. New research has found that understanding how someone processes information can be a strong predictor of whether they are drawn to conspiracy beliefs.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Rather than pointing to poor reasoning, the study highlights the role of a thinking style known as ‘systemising’, a strong drive to identify patterns and make sense of events through consistent rules, in shaping how people interpret complex information.

Same as cargo cults on how every group of people had a "thunder god"...

Human brains hate not having an answer, but we really don't care how logical an answer is.

Literally any answer will do, so when faced with big complicated situations, a conspiracy not only offers an easy explanation, it does so in a way the stupidest feel the cleverest.