Studies & Signals: Insights into the Conspiracy Mindset (Because Reasons 4)

Episode 16 | Studies & Signals: Insights into the Conspiracy Mindset (Because Reasons 4)

Guest: John Poston, Theatrical Artist & Writer

We talk about the origins of some clichés about conspiracy folks, as well as some actual scientific studies about the mindset. We also deftly use Star Trek as a metaphor for the brain. And some questionnaires you can take at home to find out just how conspiracy-minded you are yourself. A lot of what you think you know about conspiracy theorists is probably wrong. But some of it is right.

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SECTIONS

1. 01:28 - Conspiracy Folks Are People
2. 02:47 - The Tin Foil Hat
3. 03:47 - The Lunatic Fringe & The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter
4. 04:50 - The Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ) (2013)
5. 07:57 - Some Findings of the CMQ
6. 08:58 - The Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS) (2013)
7. 13:51 - Three Studies: Analytic thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories - Viren Swami, Martin Voracek, Stefan Stieger, Ulrich S. Tran & Adrian Furnham
8. 16:55 - Star Trek as a Metaphor for the Brain's Information Processing Systems, the First Study
9. 20:37 - The Second Study - the First Evidence that Analytic Thinking Might Reduce Conspiracy-Mindedness 
10. 22:11 - The Third Study
11. 23:47 - People Tend to Silo, Emotional Gratification is Key, Tribal Signaling 
12. 25:42 - Hofstadter Oversimplified Things, Social Media Is Also Tribe Signaling, Humans Have a Big White of the Eye, Film Actors Have Big Bobble Heads
13. 27:52 - Conspiracy Thinkers Are Not Necessarily Tin Foil Hatters

How conspiracy-minded are YOU? Take the GCBS yourself!

• Music by Fanette Ronjat

PREVIOUS BECAUSE REASONS: Conspiracy Thinking in Eastern Europe

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