During this pandemic, not only the coronavirus is spreading at lightning speed. Conspiracy theories are also rampant.

Wild stories about the origin of the virus, the corona vaccines and a global conspiracy by the elite to bring citizens to their knees are spreading – separately or sometimes molded into one big conspiracy – at lightning speed. And many turn out to be quite receptive to it, too.

History

Historians may not even be surprised. After all, we know from history that conspiracy theories often see the light of day during major historical events. The Romans hatched conspiracy theories when their eccentric emperor Nero died. And centuries later, the moon landing and attacks on the World Trade Center also led to the birth of various conspiracy theories. It is therefore not surprising from a historical point of view that a worldwide epidemic that affects us all one way or another does the same. “The pandemic is a perfect breeding ground for conspiracy thinking,” confirms Rolf Zwaan, professor at Erasmus University and author of the recently published ‘Urge for cohesion‘ which deals with, among other things, conspiracy theories, which Zwaan himself prefers to refer to as conspiracy stories. “The term ‘theory’ comes from science and suggests that something can be disproved. However, you cannot disprove conspiracy theories, because conspiracy theorists always come up with another story. That is why I prefer to speak of conspiracy stories.”

Insecurity

And those conspiracy stories are doing well during this corona crisis. According to Zwaan – who studies the cognitive processes behind conspiracy thinking – it has everything to do with the great uncertainty that is inherent in this health crisis. “People feel insecure and want to get a grip on what is happening around them.” But that is not so easy during a pandemic; there are many unanswered questions and the answers that scientists cautiously dare to give often turn out to be highly subject to advancing insight. And in such a situation, a conspiracy story can suddenly become very attractive. “It ostensibly gives you a grip on reality, because the story offers a cohesive explanation of what is happening around you.” So that statement is just not correct. “Because wrong connections are made.”

group feeling

But it is not only the uncertainty and the uncontrollable urge to understand what is happening that drives people to become conspiracy theorists. “People really enjoy being part of a group – especially in periods of uncertainty. That gives a safe feeling.” And whoever embraces a conspiracy becomes part of a club of like-minded people and therefore gets that nice, safe group feeling for free. This group feeling can also be considerably strengthened because people react against those who think differently. “For example sheeps: people who are not conspiracy theorists. Or the government.”

The needs

What is striking is that the cognitive mechanisms that drive people to embrace a conspiracy story are universal. It is human nature to want to understand the world. “Everyone has an urge for cohesion.” And our brain is completely equipped for that; it constantly looks for connections and thus also explanations for what is happening around us. “But one is a bit more rational and a bit more suspicious of information than the other.” And that’s why not everyone turns out to be a conspiracy theorist. “We think this can be explained by cognitive motivation,” explains Zwaan. Cognitive motivation comes in different ‘flavors’. “For example, there is the need for cognition – I also call it the urge to think – and the need for closure – urge to conclude. People who do not like to think and therefore score low on the need for cognition, but would like to draw a coherent conclusion and thus score high on the need for closure, are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories than people who like to think and also have less trouble understanding reality.”

Confirmation bias

The fact that some people experience a strong urge to understand the world around them without spending a lot of brainpower doesn’t just make them more receptive to conspiracy stories. It also contributes to the fact that once they’ve embraced conspiracy stories, they won’t be so quick to let go of them. “They come up with a statement very quickly and then only look for information that fits within that statement. We also call this a confirmation bias.” Search engines and social media play an important but harmful role in this. “People are looking for information that matches what they believe, and the algorithms that social media and search engines have developed ensure that they are continuously presented with that information.” In this way, conspiracy theorists are constantly confirmed in their ideas. “And they also get the idea that everyone agrees with them, when in reality conspiracy theorists are far in the minority.”

Critical thinking

The fact that we know so many conspiracy stories in 2021 and that they spread so easily, is partly due to social media, according to Zwaan. “They make conspiracy stories visible.” But it does not alter the fact that all media users ultimately choose whether or not to believe or share conspiracy stories. And our cognitive mechanisms and motivations may not cooperate, but you are never completely powerless, Zwaan emphasizes. “You can always be more critical of information. Just ask yourself: what is the quality of the resources? Make a conscious decision to visit various websites that are also further apart on the political spectrum, so as to avoid ending up in a bubble. And be suspicious of people who are very firm. Science knows advancing insight and advice can change on the basis of this. Conspiracy theorists see that as a sign of weakness and as proof that ‘science is just an opinion’, when it is a sign of strength.”

Back to reality

Learning to think critically about sources and information is a learning process. “And it should be part of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools,” says Zwaan. It is a lot more difficult to get conspiracy theorists who are now almost detached from reality to think critically. “That is quite difficult. You sometimes see that it all becomes too much for conspiracy theorists. For example, when predictions that belong to a conspiracy repeatedly do not come true. But returning to reality is not an easy process.” After all, people not only lose their false security, but also the group in which they have felt safe for a long time. At the same time, they have to reconnect with groups that they previously opposed and which the conspiracy theorists may have ridiculed in turn. Zwaan strongly disapproves of the latter; ridiculing conspiracy theorists is never the solution. “In the end, conspiracy theorists are just doing it cope with the circumstances and looking for guidance and certainty. We all have the cognitive mechanisms they rely on. They just take them a little too far.”

Critical thinking is an important weapon in the fight against disinformation and conspiracy stories. But there is another obvious solution: accepting that life is uncertain and that not everything can be explained. “Coincidence does exist,” Zwaan observes. We often don’t want to. And our fervent use of media certainly plays a role in this. “Writers of books, films and series compose a story in which everything is connected. If it is casually noted in a story that the pastor is left-handed and a moment later a murder is committed by a left-hander, then the pastor is the culprit. Because in a story everything is always right.” The reality, however, is very different. “Because reality simply has no author.” At times it results in an incomprehensible story. And that gnaws. “It goes against our nature. But we must learn to deal with that uncertainty and, above all, not draw too many conclusions too quickly.”