Why Humans Are Vulnerable to Conspiracy Theories

Humans seem drawn to dark conspiracy theories, often in favor of the simple truth. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation and conspiracy theorizing have surged. President Trump, for example, praised the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a "game changer" despite scant em...

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Veröffentlicht in:	Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 2021-01, Vol.72 (1), p.3-4
1. Verfasser:	Friedman, Richard A
Format:	Artikel
Sprache:	eng
Schlagworte:	COVID-19 False information Public health Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Online-Zugang:	Volltext
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:	Humans seem drawn to dark conspiracy theories, often in favor of the simple truth. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation and conspiracy theorizing have surged. President Trump, for example, praised the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a "game changer" despite scant empirical evidence of its efficacy and safety for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Others in the administration have promoted the unsubstantiated theory that SARS-CoV-2 originated in a Chinese lab, despite scientific consensus that the virus likely originated in an animal source before zoonotic transfer and that no evidence indicates that the virus emerged through deliberate lab manipulation of a related virus. Here, Friedman discusses why humans are vulnerable to conspiracy theories.
ISSN:	1075-2730 1557-9700
DOI:	10.1176/appi.ps.202000348