this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2026
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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.

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[–] Sims@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Seems like a dumb attempt at getting people to distance themselves from ANY critique of the incredibly corrupt and sick system we are in. The current fact is that to NOT believe in at least 2-3 'conspiracy-theories' these days, is naive af !

[–] urshilikai@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

On the other hand, the conspiracy of global capital is right in front of us, not so invisibly shaping billions of lives without anyone at the helm. Conspiracies are really a distraction discovered through trial and error from the capital C Conspiracy that nobody seemingly has any power to change.

[–] 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.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 3 points 1 day ago

Also, I suspect... good to acknowledge that we're all prey to that mental shortcoming.

Like, sometimes there's the urge to completely banish subjective / cloudy thinking from our logic processes, I suppose, but at the same time... doesn't that also kind of limit our understanding of 'opposites?' I.e., people who function so viscerally in terms of outrage, buttons pushed... and of course, the deep, dark, fundamental fear of the unknown..?

My theory is that it's highly important to understand how other folks think, if that makes sense.