Unmet needs increase susceptibility to believing in conspiracy theories

Individuals are more likely to believe and endorse conspiracy theories if their psychological needs - such as feeling informed, secure and valued - are not met, according to new University of Kent research.

Psychologists have found that when individuals spread conspiracy theories it can be an attempt to compensate for their feelings of uncertainty, insecurity and to defend their own ‘threatened’ social image.

From exploring the relationships between conspiracy beliefs and psychological motives, the strongest connections between the two were found to be concerns over existential threats from the world around us, prompting feelings of societal and political alienation. These findings demonstrate the need for political leaders to provide the public with informative communication and to empower them to feel part of a wider community as a way to mitigate the spread of conspiracy theories.

The research, which was led by Dr Mikey Biddlestone in Kent’s School of Psychology, suggests that psychological interventions to reduce conspiracy beliefs may be best tailored to satisfying the discussed unmet needs at the societal level and addressing the ways in which people deal with global threats.  

Dr Biddlestone said: ‘Conspiracy theories pose a threat to individuals, groups, and societies, and therefore it’s really important to understand why people believe and spread them. People may find conspiracy theories less appealing if they have alternative ways to meet their psychological needs or if their needs are not frustrated in the first place.’

The research paper ‘Reasons to believe: A systematic review and meta-analytic synthesis of the motives associated with conspiracy beliefs’ is published in Psychological Bulletin by the American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/bul0000463