Scholarly efforts to understand conspiracy theories have grown significantly in recent years,
and there is now a broad and interdisciplinary literature. In reviewing this body of work, we …

A tidal wave of research has tried to uncover the motivational and personological correlates
of conspiratorial ideation, often studying these two classes of correlates in parallel. Here, we …

People differ in their general tendency to endorse conspiracy theories (that is, conspiracy
mentality). Previous research yielded inconsistent findings on the relationship between …

In this introduction to the EJSP Special Issue on conspiracy theories as a social
psychological phenomenon, we describe how this emerging research domain has …

Conspiracy theories are ubiquitous (eg, 9/11, COVID-19) and can have negative
consequences (eg, prejudice). Thus, there is an increasing need for evidence-based …

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 …

Highlights•Conspiracy theories claim that a powerful group is secretly pursuing an evil
goal.•Conspiracy theories can foster anti-democratic social movements.•Conspiracy theories …

Although conspiracy theories are endorsed by about half the population and occasionally
turn out to be true, they are more typically false beliefs that, by definition, have a paranoid …

Many citizens around the globe believe conspiracy theories. Why are conspiracy theories so
appealing? Here, we propose that conspiracy theories elicit intense emotions independent …

People endorse conspiracy theories particularly when they experience existential threat, that
is, feelings of anxiety or uncertainty often because of distressing societal events. At the same …