Conspiracy theory addiction can have long-term negative effects on an individual. In fact, some studies have shown that believing in conspiracies can reinforce feelings of confusion, isolation, and loneliness. The cycle of addiction becomes destructive as negative feelings contribute to the belief in conspiracies and the belief in conspiracies results in negative feelings.
Conspiracy theory addiction not only causes a cycle of distrust, but it discourages people from participating in their social worlds. Someone who lacks a sense of control may stop viewing themselves as a valuable contributor to society.
Make a Call Although certain factors that contribute to belief cannot be easily or quickly changed, researchers have found that promoting messages of self-control and empowerment can reduce conspiratorial thinking. Learn More. Those who are promotion-focused are less likely to believe in conspiracies and more likely to believe they have the power to control their future. Someone who has a conspiracy theory addiction may want to seek help from a counselor who can help them work toward personal goals and increasing a sense of personal empowerment.
Creating an action-oriented mindset can help discourage belief in conspiracies and encourage self-responsibility and control. Conspiracy theory addiction can cause long-term psychological and social harm to an individual.
Therapy that centers on personal goals and strategies to achieve these goals can have a powerful impact on improving a sense of control and empowerment. After graduation, Ginni worked as an educator in public schools and an art therapist in a behavioral health hospital where she found a passion working with at-risk populations and advocating for social justice and equality. She is also experienced in translating and interpreting with an emphasis in language justice and creating multilingual spaces.
She believes in the importance of ending stigma surrounding mental health and substance abuse while creating more accessible treatment in communities. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crafting, and attending music festivals. All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional. David embarked on his journey into sobriety in June of , which led him to his current career path as a Certified Professional Addiction Recovery Coach in private practice in Greater Nashville.
David is also a public speaker and the author of two books. David is cohost of the weekly Positive Sobriety Podcast, as well as being a frequent contributor to various articles and recovery based materials. As a member of the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors NAADAC , David works closely with Nashville area treatment centers, nonprofit recovery organizations, and consulting with faith-based groups trying to bridge the gap between the recovery communities and faith-based organizations who wish to understand addiction.
Call A treatment facility paid to have their center promoted here. Learn more about how to be featured in a paid listing. Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Chats will be received and answered by one of treatment providers listed below, each of which is a paid advertiser:. Conspiracy Theory Addiction Conspiracy theories are a popular topic of conversation, and research shows that almost half of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy.
Intentionality bias makes us assume that events are planned by somebody or something. Confirmation bias means we seek out evidence that supports our beliefs. And the illusion-of-understanding bias makes us overestimate our knowledge of how things work. Conspiracy theories can also paradoxically be emotionally reassuring.
They provide truthful-sounding explanations for events that otherwise seem inexplicable, random or capricious, and often make your political opponents look bad. Personality type also plays a part. People who are naturally suspicious of received wisdom and authority are more likely to believe.
Conspiracy theories are often utterly preposterous and totally lacking in credible evidence, but they are almost impossible to disprove, at least in the minds of believers. No amount of counter-evidence can refute them, and in fact this evidence often reinforces them because it can be dismissed as part of the conspiracy.
In this respect conspiracy theories have much in common with pseudoscience , which superficially resembles science but lacks its crucial epistemological feature, falsifiability — meaning that hypotheses must be structured such that they can be disproved by new evidence.
The conspiratorial mindset may have been an asset in the past, but is now a liability. Now, YouTube and podcasting have been able to take what were once fringe views into the mainstream, says Donovan. But that also means that there are lots of debunking sources at your disposal. Correction: The story has been updated to amend the percentage of US adults who think the Plandemic conspiracy theory is true. Fed up with apps, people looking for romance are finding inspiration on Twitter, TikTok—and even email newsletters.
From Jibo to Aibo, humans have a long track record of falling for their robots. Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.
Thank you for submitting your email! It looks like something went wrong. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service technologyreview. Skip to Content. Every single person I spoke to said that without respect, compassion, and empathy, no one will open their mind or heart to you. No one will listen. Go private. That prevents discussion from getting embarrassing for the poster, and it implies a genuine compassion and interest in conversation rather than a desire for public shaming.
Test the waters first. That way you save yourself time and energy. In fact, the subreddit has a list of behaviors that indicate if a person is not genuinely open to discussion. Remember the kernel of truth? Conspiracy theories often feature elements that everyone can agree on.
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