Scientists Reveal Traits Of People Who Fall For Conspiracy Theories Easily
Have you been called disagreeable and antagonistic? Do you also fall for what you read on the internet??We bring bad news for you - a new study claims that people who are generally disagreeable tend to succumb to conspiracy theories more often then others.?
A doctoral candidate from the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon, Cameron Kay found that people who possess a certain set of personality traits are most likely to believe in alternative theories.?
For instance - that the moon landing in 1969 was faked, that Area 51 stores extraterrestrial spacecraft, or that the Earth is flat, that 5G causes COVID... among many!?
The "Dark Tetrad" grouping
These traits are officially called "Dark Tetrad" and the findings from the study were published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.?
What are the characteristics of Dark Tetrad? In psychology, marked tendencies of this certain trait include manipulativeness, cynicism, self-obsession, impulsivity and cruelty. The basis of these traits are formed by Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and sadism.?
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Some of these traits exist in most people in one way or another.But those who score the highest on this trait sheet are more susceptible to falling for conspiracy theories.
This isn't a moral judgment, but rather points to the natural tendencies of all humans."They are prone to odd beliefs", Kay told MedicalXpress.?
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He added that most people who fall on this spectrum possess an "innate distrust of other people and organisations like the government".?
To assess the possibility, Kay recruited 500 undergraduate students at the University of Oregon to finish an hour-long survey to measure the traits vis-a-vis belief in conspiracy theories.?
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?All "Dark Tetrad" traits were found to have links to belief in conspiracies.?
With this research on why some people believe unproven claims, Kay hopes to assist in combating misinformation and conspiracy theories - a common problem that has plagued tech platforms over the years, especially during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
