Authors
Jan-Willem Van Prooijen, Mark Van Vugt
Publication date
2018/11
Source
Perspectives on psychological science
Volume
13
Issue
6
Pages
770-788
Publisher
Sage Publications
Description
Belief in conspiracy theories—such as that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an inside job or that the pharmaceutical industry deliberately spreads diseases—is a widespread and culturally universal phenomenon. Why do so many people around the globe believe conspiracy theories, and why are they so influential? Previous research focused on the proximate mechanisms underlying conspiracy beliefs but ignored the distal, evolutionary origins and functions. We review evidence pertaining to two competing evolutionary hypotheses: (a) conspiracy beliefs are a by-product of a suite of psychological mechanisms (e.g., pattern recognition, agency detection, threat management, alliance detection) that evolved for different reasons, or (b) conspiracy beliefs are part of an evolved psychological mechanism specifically aimed at detecting dangerous coalitions. This latter perspective assumes that conspiracy theories are …
Total citations
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Scholar articles
JW Van Prooijen, M Van Vugt - Perspectives on psychological science, 2018