If you are an ordinary citizen and believe that a mysterious cabal is plotting to control the government, cheating the public may not hurt you.
For politicians seeking to run for senior positions, however, if voters don't look at things the same way, supporting conspiracy theories may become pointless.
This clearly has nothing to do with Donald Trump, who mentioned one of his favorite conspiracy theories in a speech to the Republican Jewish League on Thursday.
"Something has happened to him that we don't know," Trump said of President Obama . ".
We don't know what he meant, but Trump used to focus on his allegations that the president was not born in the United States.
Trump has other theories. -
Arab immigrants from New Jersey, for example, cheered on the streets, destroying the World Trade Center. 11, 2001.
If these theories are true, they will be widely deceived.
Believers must imagine coordination among potentially large numbers of people in state, federal and local governments, law enforcement and the media, all of whom are acting in concert to protect the public and cover up the truth.
By supporting modern society
Politicians may be criticized in today's myths, but psychologists believe the theories attract a large group of voters, especially conservative voters.
A new study shows that these voters are not sick. informed.
On the contrary, conspiracy theories are most convincing to voters with more insight and political participation ---
It's just a group that politicians may want to reach.
By supporting these theories, or at least not refuting them, politicians can address some of the basic psychological needs of these voters.
Social scientists and psychologists believe that the reason why people agree with conspiracy theories is simple, that they often confirm their view of the world.
Republicans believe in President Obama's views, and many liberals believe similar theories from President George w. Bush. Bush.
Joanne Miller said: "for liberals and conservatives, there is a tendency for everyone to believe in things that fit our world view, political scientists at the University of Minnesota, one of the authors of the new study.
"Both liberals and conservatives are affected by this.
To believe what we believe is a human tendency.
In particular, conspiracy theories provide a simple explanation for the complex reality of modern politics, with a recognizable villain.
Simplicity is attractive.
Miller and her partner. -
Kristina Farhart and Kyle Sanders at Colorado State University-
Americans were surveyed and asked if their views on politicians and public figures were correct.
There are some conspiracy theories on the list.
There are four to find out the answer to conservatives: There are four theories on the other side: in many cases, a large percentage of Americans think conspiracy theory is true.
Respondents must also take a short quiz to test their general knowledge of politics.
Good conservative.
In general, people who know politics are more likely to hold conspiracy theories than less.
While this may surprise most people, it's not surprising for conspiracy theorists who write papers.
People who know more about politics and political parties tend to hold stronger opinions.
At the same time, they can also better see how a rational theory supports them in their world view.
The real surprise for Miller, Sanders and Farhart is that well-informed liberals are unlikely to support conspiracy theories.
The authors present several reasons why the data of free conspiracy theories contradict their assumptions that there will be more knowledgeable voters.
One possibility is that when your own party is in the White House, you don't have enough reason to support conspiracy theories.
These theories seem particularly appealing to those who feel their party is losing power.
For example, another recent study conducted a study of the letters edited by The New York Times from 1890.
The authors found that the most common villains in conspiracy theories were Republican politicians or companies during the Republican administration, while the villains were Democrats or Communists during the Democratic administration.
Perhaps these theories explain why tens of millions of Americans can vote on the other side without forcing believers to think carefully about whether these voters have legitimate reasons to support their party.
Another possibility is that conspiracy theories are more convincing to conservatives because of their psychology. up.
The fact that the world is an uncertain and complex place makes some people very uncomfortable.
As Wonkblog has previously reported, psychologists have found that a characteristic of conservatives around the world is that they are particularly opposed to this uncertainty. [
I asked psychologists to analyze Trump's supporters.
This is what I learned. ]
The attraction of conspiracy theories is that they eliminate the complexity of the political system and give believers a simple and effective way to understand it all: there is a group of villains who control everything.
The fact of any contradiction is the wrong message, the conspiracy of the cabal.
Conspiracy theories, Miller said, "may resonate better overall with Republicans than Democrats or liberals ".
"What people are attracted to is a simple explanation.
"The study also explains why Trump broke all the rules and refused to give in when he fell into a lie.
Trump's appeal reflects
A firm desire of conservative voters-
Research shows--
A relatively simple explanation of what is happening.
Miller speculated that with Trump's statement, he revealed that he had a personality type that they could identify.
"By communicating conspiracy theories or such misinformation, what you do is to communicate to the public that you are that kind of person," she said . ".
"There are no nuances.
No "yes",. . .
"Not just Trump, of course.
Earlier this year, there were rumors that the United StatesS.
The military secretly planned to invade Texas.
In fact, the military is only planning a training exercise, and since Texas is already within the jurisdiction of the federal government, the theory makes little sense.
Still, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a rival to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, did not explicitly refute the rumors.
"My office has contacted the Pentagon," Cruz said . ".
"We are sure this is a military training exercise.
I have no reason to doubt these guarantees, but I understand the reasons for concern and uncertainty.
"Things are getting weird in American politics.