Can Belief In Conspiracy Theories Help Individuals Find Meaning In Their Lives?
Can belief in conspiracy theories help individuals find meaning in their lives?
Said like that, it is a bit provocative, but at least two articles back the idea that belief in conspiracy theories can be linked with positive psychological outcomes.
In one article, "When alienated from society, conspiracy theory belief gives meaning to life", Schnell and her collaborators present a study where they found, in a German sample, that when individuals feel alienated from society, i.e., being excluded from decision-making processes or experiencing discrimination, they tend to believe more in conspiracy theories, and they tend to have less meaning in their lives. But the most interesting part is that the more alienated people are, the more belief in conspiracy theories tends to have a positive effect on one's sense of meaning. The big idea is that when one's sense of belonging to society is threatened, people might find alternative ways to regain that lost meaning!
In another article from Céline Schöpfer and her collaborator (a paper I had the pleasure of contributing to), "'Where there are villains, there will be heroes': Belief in conspiracy theories as an existential tool to fulfill need for meaning", we found across two studies on US residents that conspiracy theories can help individuals satisfy certain existential needs. Which ones exactly? Our findings suggest that believing in conspiracy theories does not come with a greater feeling of understanding the world. Rather, it comes with an increased sense of making a difference and having a positive impact. And last but not least, participants were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories they perceived as leaving room for action and agency, while theories that condemned them to inaction and uselessness were less popular.
Overall, what these studies highlight is that one reason people believe in conspiracy theories may be to recover or improve the meaning of their lives and satisfy their existential needs. Obviously, this is far from being the sole reason conspiracy theories exists, it is a complex issue. But these findings point to something that is often overlooked!
— Joffrey Fuhrer