From the Flat Earth theory to the moon landing hoax, conspiracy theories have surged in recent years.
In fact, research in 2023 found that as many as one in three people in the UK think that at least one conspiracy is definitely or probably true.
So, why do some people believe in conspiracy theories?
In a new study, scientists from Staffordshire University set out to answer this age-old question.
And according to their analysis, conspiracy belief comes down to one key factor – spite.
‘Spiteful psychological motives tend to emerge when people feel at a competitive disadvantage, often when they feel uncertain, threatened or undervalued,’ explained Dr David Gordon, lead author of the study.
‘Spite is the desire to “level the playing field” by trying to knock someone else down, because it feels like there is no other choice.
‘Conspiracy theories can serve as a way for individuals to satisfy this desire through rejecting expert opinion and scientific consensus.’
From the Flat Earth theory (artist’s impression) to the moon landing hoax, conspiracy theories have surged in recent years
Conspiracy theories are alternative explanations for major events that reject the accepted narrative in favour of more fantastical plots.
For example, because Earth’s surface looks and feels flat, so-called ‘Flat Earthers’ denounce all evidence to the contrary.
Meanwhile, after NASA delayed its upcoming moon mission, moon landing deniers rushed to social media to claim that the space agency couldn’t return to the moon since it never went there in the first place.
In their new study, the researchers set out to examine whether or not spitefulness plays a role in conspiracy belief.
The team carried out three expeirments involving 1,000 participants to assess how spitefulness interacts with three established motivations for conspiracy thinking.
These were: a need to understand the world (epistemic motives), a need for security (existential motives), and a need for social significance (social motives).
Across all three motivations, the researchers found that higher levels of spite were associated with stronger belief in conspiracy theories.
Dr Megan Birney, co-author from the University of Birmingham, said: ‘We are not suggesting that people consciously choose to be spiteful when believing and spreading conspiracy theories.
Across all three motivations, the researchers found that higher levels of spite were associated with stronger belief in conspiracy theories (stock image)
‘Instead, our findings suggest that feelings of disadvantage in those three areas can provoke a common psychological—spiteful—response, one that makes individuals more receptive to believing conspiracy theories.’
The researchers hope the findings could help to combat belief in conspiracy theories.
At the moment, most people try to win conspiracy theorists over with information.
Instead, the study suggests that we should address the social and political conditions that foster feelings of disenfranchisement, precariousness and competition.
‘If we understand conspiracy beliefs as a manifestation of spite—a reaction to real or perceived social and economic disadvantage—then tackling misinformation is inseparable from addressing broader societal issues such as financial insecurity and inequality,’ Dr Gordon concluded.
WHAT IS FLAT EARTH THEORY?
Those who believe the Flat Earth Theory claim our planet is shaped like a flat disc instead of a sphere.
Because Earth’s surface looks and feels flat when we walk around it, the conspiracy theorists denounce all evidence to the contrary.
The leading theory suggests Earth is a disc with the Arctic Circle in the centre and Antarctica, a 150-foot-tall (45-metre) wall of ice, around the rim.
Those who believed the Flat Earth Theory claim our planet is shaped like a flat disc instead of a sphere. Pictured is a model presented to attendees at the first annual Flat Earth International Conference, held in North Carolina in November 2017
Theorists claim that satellite images and evidence pointing to a spherical Earth are part of a ’round Earth conspiracy’ orchestrated by NASA and other government agencies.
Proponents of the bizarre theory also claim the Earth is stationary in space rather than orbiting the sun.
Some believe the Earth is covered by a glass dome which sits over the flat disc.
The international scientific community has consistently denounced the Flat Earth theory.
Decades of space imagery and peer-reviewed astronomical research back their claims.
NASA has proved that the Earth is round using satellites, GPS and images from space, but ‘Flat Earthers’ believe the space agency is lying.
