Academic Abstract The motto of the conspiracist,“Do your own research,” may seem
ludicrous to scientists. Indeed, it is often dismissed as a mere rhetorical device that …

Conspiracy theories tend to involve doubt and skepticism, but are conspiracy believers
really more deliberative? We review recent research that investigates the relative roles of …

Many people believe conspiracy theories, even though such beliefs are harmful to
themselves and their social environment. What is the appeal of conspiracy theories? In this …

Looking at set of 76 representative articles published by social psychologists between 2017
and 2023 (reviewed between December 2022 and February 2023), I examine the role of …

As part of its educational mission, the Skeptical Inquirer regularly publishes critical
investigations into conspiracy theories—claims that organizations of powerful, self-serving …

In psychological research, conspiracy theories are often defined as explanations of events
involving the hidden action of a malevolent group. Such a definition raises a false negative …

People have two integrative mental systems in place to process information about the world.
One is fast and automatic, relying on emotions, intuitions, and heuristics (“System 1”); the …

Conspiracy theories and the reasons why people adopt them are a hot topic. From the
protests against health measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic across the world to the …

What leads people to believe in conspiracy theories? In this paper, we explore the possibility
that people might be drawn towards conspiracy theories because believing in them might …

In the social sciences, research on conspiracy theories is accumulating fast. To contribute to
this research, here I introduce a computational model about the psychological processes …