ABSTRACT
People who strongly endorse conspiracy theories often proclaim to be rational skeptics and “critical freethinkers” who “just ask questions.” Indeed, many well-known conspiracy theories—such as 9/11-for-truth theories, but also flat earth conspiracy theories—are based on a range of seemingly articulate and well-crafted arguments. Do conspiracy theories originate from rational skepticism, or rather from gullibility? In this chapter I review the evidence, which reveals that (a) conspiracy beliefs correlate positively with various implausible beliefs, including paranormal belief, superstition, belief in pseudoscience, and “bullshit” receptivity; (b) conspiracy beliefs predict increased susceptibility to a range of cognitive biases, including the conjunction fallacy, illusory pattern perception, over-detecting agency, and anthropomorphism; (c) belief in conspiracy theories predicts increased stereotyping; and (d) belief in conspiracy theories is rooted in System 1 instead of System 2 thinking, as reflected in findings that belief in simple solutions for societal problems, intuitive thinking, negative emotions, and decreased analytic thinking, all predict conspiracy beliefs. Taken together, the evidence does not support a model in which rational skepticism forms the psychological basis of conspiracy theories. Instead, conspiracy theories appear to originate from gullibility, and true rational skepticism most often prompts disbelief in conspiracy theories.
