Khaberni - A new Australian study has shown that the way people process information can be a strong indicator of how much they are drawn to conspiracy theories.
According to a research team from Flinders University in Australia, the attraction to conspiracy theories is not necessarily due to a lack of critical thinking or analytical skills, as commonly thought, but is closely linked to a specific thinking pattern called "systemizing."
People who strongly tend to look for patterns and fixed rules to understand the world around them, find in conspiracy theories a structured and logical framework that explains chaotic events, making them attractive even to those with high reasoning abilities. However, this attraction carries serious negative effects, as it leads to the erosion of trust in institutions, a decline in vaccination rates, and hinders the response to real crises, not to mention fueling anxiety and spreading misinformation.
Not a lack of thinking.. but "systemizing"
Contrary to the common belief that the attraction to conspiracies stems from weak analytical abilities, the research team focuses on the role of a cognitive style they call "systemizing" (systemising).
This style is defined as "a strong motivation to discover patterns and understand events through fixed rules," and it is the method used by the person to interpret complex information.
The study led by Dr. Neophytos Georgiou, an expert in conspiracy theory research from Flinders University, included more than 550 people and sought to answer the question: Why are some people more drawn to conspiracy theory explanations than others?
Dr. Georgiou says: "Many believe that belief in conspiracies stems from a weakness in critical thinking. But what we found is that conspiracy theories seem, for people with systematic inclinations, like the most organized way to understand confusing or unexpected events."
Thinking patterns and conviction keys
The researchers were able to identify different thinking patterns among participants and noticed that people who cling more to systematic patterns and structures were more prone to believing in conspiracy theories, even when they demonstrated strong scientific reasoning skills.
Dr. Georgiou adds: "What caught our attention is that those with strong systematic thinking intensely desire to understand the world in a highly consistent way. Here, conspiracy theories provide this sense of order, connecting disparate threads. Even when the person possesses high reasoning abilities, their desperate need for strict explanations might outweigh their ability to doubt these beliefs."
The team also found that these individuals are more rigid in sticking to the patterns they have previously formed, making them less flexible in updating their beliefs when new evidence emerges.
Dr. Georgiou explains: "In tests that require participants to adjust their views based on new information, those with high systematic inclinations were the most reluctant to change their viewpoints. This result may partially explain why belief in conspiracy theories persists even in the face of overwhelming evidence contradicting them."
Understanding the mindset.. key to confrontation
Dr. Georgiou concludes that the research highlights "the cognitive style that a person carries while processing information. Those who naturally search for structure and predictability find their quest in conspiracy theories, because they appear organized, logical, and consistent in explaining chaotic events."
The team hopes that the results of the study, published in the journal Cognitive Processing, will contribute to developing more effective strategies for dealing with misinformation.
Dr. Georgiou says: "Instead of just relying on interventions based on correcting information or abstract logic, we need to design strategies that consider how people process information. Conspiracy beliefs fulfill genuine psychological needs, and ignoring this aspect means we won't understand why these narratives seem so convincing to this extent."
