Paranoia and belief in conspiracy theories both involve suspiciousness about the intentions
of others but have rarely been studied together. In three studies, one with a mainly student …

Public discourse and scholarly literature often make a strong connection between paranoid
thought and belief in conspiracy theories. We report one metaanalysis and two …

Surveys indicate that belief in conspiracy theories is widespread. Previous studies have
indicated that such beliefs are related to agreeableness, low levels of self esteem, certain …

Paranoia and conspiracy thinking are known to be distinct but correlated constructs, but it is
unknown whether certain types of conspiracy thinking are more common in paranoia than …

Objective This study disentangles the known correlates of conspiracy beliefs—such as the
general predisposition toward conspiratorial thinking, authoritarianism, and partisan and …

Despite regular reference to conspiracy theories as a “belief system,” few studies have
attempted to explore the structure and organization of conspiracy beliefs beyond an …

Understanding the individual-level characteristics associated with conspiracy theory beliefs
is vital to addressing and combatting those beliefs. While researchers have identified …

While there is ample evidence showing that people who believe in one conspiracy theory
are more likely to believe in other conspiracy theories, and many studies that show that …

This chapter explores some of the psychological factors, focusing on the motivational and
emotional reasons why people adopt conspiracy theories. Research suggests that people …

In this research spotlight, we respond to Nera's (2024, this issue) critique of the conspiracy
mentality. We agree that the concept of the conspiracy mentality–and its relation to belief in …