The Psychology of Conspiracy Theorists

[@AnaPsychology]

Visit my sponsor zocdoc.com/ana to easily book local, top-rated doctors who can see you quickly.

[@HarrisburgShopping]

Testing as one of the higher rated psychopathy personnel on the planet, I can tell you your voice absolutely enrages me. Dr. Grande interviewed me once with Nat Geo tagging along. You are exactly the kind of psychiatrist I detest. It is very obvious to see that you do not have the proximal skills to deliver apt diagnosis. Let me help you with your voice issue. This will be more of a permanent change.

[@CoreyMonroe-dw2ir]

911 and Nostradamus predicted before air planes one of four Siddhis being attacked from above prior to 4th July a asteroid comes forth and I stand walking forward and left changes directions about 4 towns over Pemberton NJ no sound at any point no tv news 3, 6 ,10. Conclusion fire Siddhis before 911 and I produced sartori at the time not knowing Satori. City and Siddhis oxymoron.

[@MarcillaSmith]

I'm curious about the line between beliefs which are "conspiratorial" and those which are merely "dissident" - if in fact there is a meaningful distinction. While it would be a relief to comfort myself that since my dissident beliefs don't involve any coordinated cover-ups, therefore I'm just aware of an emerging hypothesis which has yet to become mainstream, I have to acknowledge that this could also be evidence of the same sort of pathology where I'm just seeking to fulfill an otherwise unmet epistemic need.

[@CoreyMonroe-dw2ir]

@MarcillaSmit I have to research some of your words but self hypnosis I did a recording of my voice and it worked I can make you an audio, Many lives Many Masters, book 2 or 3.

[@patrickjamesstevens1159]

@@MarcillaSmith Hmm... Truth doesn't care why you believe in it. Freud may have been right about Christians believing in God because they want to keep hold of a parent figure into adulthood, but that by itself doesn't mean God doesn't exist.

[@AD-dg3zz]

To paraphrase a quote from Miniminuteman, "You don't need to make up an evil shadow government to be mad at, you can just be mad at the actual government!"

[@JoaoCosta-ly1sw]

You also don’t need a formal conspiracy when all the important people attend the same parties and clubs.

[@TwisterTornado]

​@JoaoCosta-ly1sw Or like George Carlin said...went to the same schools, grew up in the same neighborhoods, went to each other's birthday parties... Who cares if they also had secret handshakes?

[@JoaoCosta-ly1sw]

@@TwisterTornado You can’t suggest those secret handshakes happened without being labeled a conspiracy theorist and everything you say becomes dismissed.

[@-biki-]

as a former Mormon, secret handshakes in patriarchal secretive societies are like...a kind of tradition at this point.

[@TwisterTornado]

@JoaoCosta-ly1sw But that's ridiculous. Masonic Temples are everywhere. They don't hide, so who else has similar clubs?

[@TonyB2279]

Or is this just what Dr. Ana WANTS us to think???

[@daaara]

Dr. Ana is just a figurehead - Chianti is the one pulling all the strings. Do your own research!

[@DucksUpDogsDownCatsSlide]

lol

[@Randomstuffs261]

She's paid by the CIA to spread this agenda

[@sarahallegra6239]

😂😂😂

[@whataboutthis10]

She's over the 500k subscriber barrier now so obviously she has been recruited and has crossed over to the oppressor class. This is her acceptance speech.

[@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree]

My dad started going down the rabbithole of conspiracy after he had a nasty divorce and watched that stupid Nick Cage movie "National Treasure." Not joking. Now, he believes in Atlantis, "cures" for neurodivergence, and various apologetics for what the Germans did in the 30s and 40s 😊 As a gay dude, the latter strains our relationship the most, but he refuses to throw that away because he thinks he found a community in it, but he doesn't know that if he dropped from the face of the earth, his "community" wouldn't even notice.

[@Dog-ManTribe]

Well instead of expecting him to admit he's wrong & to change his ideas, feelings and beliefs, since he is an elder you should learn from & respect him, so why don't you change yours? Who knows, after you get a few years in the school of Hard Knocks under your belt, you might realize he was correct all along? Just a thought.

[@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree]

@@Dog-ManTribe Try your ragebait somewhere else.

[@calebleland8390]

​​@@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree so sorry that you're going through this with your dad. I have people I care about who have called me out for making fun of conspiracy theorists, because "what harm can it do me if they believe it" and the old "everyone is entitled to their beliefs". Yeah, there's harm in them believing crackpot theories when I have an autistic enby daughter and they believe that my daughter can be "cured" and vote for people who believe all of this crap.

[@bonniea.1941]

I’m sorry. Losing a parent to conspiracy theories (especially Not See Ism) is heartbreaking. 💔

[@beatyeyes]

If he is looking for a source of community, it may be due to the divorce taking a major affect on him in his feelings of belonging. Maybe try to introduce him to different people and promote communication. Try to expand his friend group. You need to find people with similar interests as him, but closer to the grasps of reality

[@Stumpy801]

Some people get high off of that feeling of “I’ve been lied to.”

[@michellejean11]

The interesting part is their cognitive dissonance letting them deny the clear facts they have been lied too.

[@NatureFreak1127]

And above all: "I am so much smarter than everyone else".

[@multihull40]

Except You actually have been lied to. Go figure?

[@Stumpy801]

@@multihull40 sometimes yes. But some of these conspiracies are total cannon fodder

[@tetrasphere8165]

You mean obsessed. And it's understandable.

[@schmumlauf]

I fell into conspiracy theories after I got arrested right before college and it threw my entire future up in the air and felt disenfranchised. I came back gradually during college as my education undermined the erroneous reasoning processes in the beliefs I'd recently adopted. I feel like a case study

[@Dog-ManTribe]

You people don't even realize what your own words revile. Coming from a person that holds a degree in Health Care with over 2 decades of Critical Care experience, what I have evaluated over the past few years is that College is no longer an education, it's a brainwashing, & an indoctrination. As evidence by the lack of critical thinking it takes for younger pre-graduates & post-graduates to come to their own concrete final solutions. It's truly kinda fucking Creepy!

[@VicViper1984]

@Dog-ManTribe in context to the rest of it, that first statement is pure comedic gold and poetic irony all rolled up into one. Go throw your tantrums elsewhere, the real adults are taking.

[@dragonmaster613]

Congratulations on your recovery from this affliction. I hope others like you were are just as salvageable from such nonsense.

[@schmumlauf]

@@dragonmaster613 My own experience has helped me communicate more effectively with people who may be all in on it

[@agator2660]

Glad to hear you made a recovery.

[@phleef]

I feel conspiracy theories give too much credit to their subjects. "Masterminds" are more myth than reality, and most people in power barely know how to do their job. Last, people are terrible at keeping secrets.

[@tobinfolly901]

Makes me think of Hanlon's Razor - Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

[@davidthor4405]

I mean, if this “New World Order” has giant space lasers, total control over a FREE market and has been able to seize control over EVERY government without ANYONE noticing… why the hell would I want to OPPOSE them? A big, efficient government that can actually get things done? Yes please!

[@stevedriscoll2539]

@@phleef but they are not masterminds, they are n'er-do-wells. The skills they do possess, that of lying, demagogueing their opponents, and cheating are not a good substitute for talent and productivity, which comes from the working folks. The can do types come up with most of the good ideas that keep the engines of business, commerce, trade, and progress running. All the vital services are performed by the lower classes, and everyone with an ounce of honesty will admit this.

[@JorgeSicre]

Oh yeah?, you didn't sit next to Joss Ackland (an actor routinely used to play the "heavy") with a sh*t eating grin hanging on your every word as you list the Masonic symbols in the OJ case. He didn't exchange one word with the non descript woman he was with. That was an exercise in divide& conquer (White/Black Rich/Poor) that established the obligatory prerequisite of Fascism: loss of faith in justice and the justice system.

[@thegzak]

Exactly this - how many people were involved in the conspiracy? How many of them were competent? And do you really think none of them would blab?

[@ErikHare]

I find that people who believe in conspiracies are people who are comforted by them. The idea that the world around you seems quite random at times is extremely frightening. It means that there is absolutely no hope of ever having control. But if there is an identifiable force of evil that is actually causing all of the chaos then there is a chance of actually doing something about it. So there is comfort in believing in a conspiracy. The alternative is complete randomness, especially for people who don't understand how things really work.

[@patrickdudgeon9315]

I 100% agree with you. The thought that a “shadow government” or “the ruling elites” are in charge and manipulating us to the point of altering our reality, is comforting. It gives a reason to chaos. I fell into the conspiracy rabbit hole after my father died, fuelled by the movie “Zeitgeist”. I realised that as soon as you start applying rational thinking to 9/11, while it was capitalised on, trying to imagine the massive number of people that would have to be involved in the cover up of a controlled demolition, the whole conspiracy falls apart.

[@LailorGG]

Speaking for myself here but it’s really just uncovering truths, whether it’s nasty or not. Epstein didn’t log out of the game by himself. 9/11 was 100% an inside job to give America a chance to invade the Middle East and pass the Patriot Act. UAPs are… interesting to say the least 😂

[@multihull40]

Except she names THE three MAIN motivations driving a conspiracy theory, and missed out VERACITY ?? You know, truth, honesty and integrity driven by a righteous desire for fairness and justice, not by some need of a comfort pill. The video literally mocks honest Critical independent thinking...it must be stopped... is the no brainer message to the groupthink masses being brainwashed by this video imo

[@shamanahaboolist]

Remember, people actually engaged in conspiracy will happily gaslight you.

[@mytmouse57]

Nah. The conspirators I know just come right out and tell me.

[@kayakMike1000]

I just listened to this child tell me that I believe the WEF is bad news because I am a crazy jerk dickhead. I think she might be the one gaslighting me. Is it OK to think that building 7 was totally sus? I can't know what really happened, but sheesh, I don't think the powers that be should be trusted.

[@Yatukih_001]

What is going on here is, that these people who don´t want anybody to talk about these theories, are attacking anti - fascists. They´re basically providing arguments which suggests that when fascists are in power people should not criticize that, because if they do, then boom, they are a conspiracy theorist. My personal experience with online fascism has provided me with enough evidence to suggest that what most people who hate conspiracy theorists really hate, is democracy. While it is true that conspiracy theory movements attract the attention of narcissists, the evidence seems to suggest that narcissists dislike conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking due to their critique of authoritarian rule.

[@grunwald1]

You are talking about conformists like the recent flood of „masked singers” for example

[@agarthastudio6005]

​@@grunwald1 "Masked singers-" LoL that's a good term!

[@BootcampBobby_3]

It seems like conspiratorial thinking has been on the rise for a long time in America. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that the people are less able to advocate for themselves. No more unions, politicians take big money and aren’t held accountable, loneliness is up and social cohesion is down. But the ability to understand and challenge power structures in society has been so thoroughly obscured by the ruling class that everyone is just standing around thinking, “I feel so bad but I don’t know why. What could it be? Surely someone somewhere is screwing me over….” And then they start coming up with imaginary answers because they don’t have access to the real ones. Anyways, that’s why I think conspiratorial thinking is on the rise.

[@Horrorbabe4]

I think you're describing FOX news. Yes.

[@strawpiglet]

Exactly. It’s up because because people are being crushed by actual conspiracies and they see the press gaslighting them over and over again.

[@SparklyCoconut-le3fu]

What you’re saying is certainly part of the problem. Real information based on evidence and how we can access this information is often out of the average person’s reach. A lot of research is behind paywalls and even when it isn’t, the language used in the disciplines is so specialized, it’s hard to make sense of it. We also don’t have enough scientists as public figures and we don’t have enough good faith public intellectuals to help educate the average person.

[@jessica5470]

And how do we know what's true and what's not? I don't know who has an agenda I don't know what it is, I don't believe a single thing I see online anymore each side lies so much. All I know is the rich and powerful are the issue

[@MJ-uk6lu]

The phenomena of InfoWars website is still baffling to me. If you are just casual person and decide to check out website, then it looks like really nuts website with some barely cohesive articles, but fans of that website clearly don't think so and they actually buy into things said and get out of house and act on that stuff. I frankly still can't understand reasoning like that well, but you can see less insane version of that in open things like Trump. He can claim dumb stuff and clearly false things, but not only he's not called out, but also appreciated and is gaining support for what would normaly be understood as negative thing. Still pretty crazy to me that storming capitol happened, because there was zero good reason for that to happen, but this is USA, so weird shit happens. It's truly insane all in all, but IMO in USA conspiratorial thinking might be a lot more common than many believe. In fact, it's not even all that weird, but to certain degree culturally acceptable and appreciated. I still remember some study done about bullshiting in various nations and for some reason anglosphere cultures tended to bullshit each other more with USA being a leader. I know that study was not very strong scientifically, but it seems to make sense and I believe that this tendency might have some things in common with conspiratorial thinking.

[@twestgard2]

Initial thoughts: given that conspiracies do exist, it’s weird to lump (1) people who make rational, evidence based inferences about the world, with (2) people whose paranoid tendencies lead them to give credence to things that aren’t supported by evidence.

[@borissmolden5040]

Very well said.

[@ImBaudits]

Agreed. Conspiracies exist… having theories about them isn’t crazy The term “conspiracy theory” has intentionally been converted into meaning crazy so that they’re not believed by default - which in and of itself is a conspiracy theory Conspira-ception 👀

[@LailorGG]

Extremely well said

[@stevedriscoll2539]

@@twestgard2 yes, well said. It is noted that these types are particularly easy to pattern, an effect of their inculcation from the debased "institutions of Higher Learning". The patterns take the form of extreme circular reasoning and projection.

[@thegzak]

If you’re right, but for the wrong reasons, are you actually right?

[@HalfJapMarine]

A pathological Ruling Class is real

[@cybersandoval]

not a theory if the conspiracy is true

[@whataboutthis10]

how dare you suggest that, do what you're told

[@wanderingwisp4542]

I mean yeah but you have dipshi*s making shi* up about them instead of what they’re actually doing thus muddying the waters, that’s why conspiracy theorists are cancerous.

[@humbull]

Yes, a ruling class that is under-educated, believes in conspiracy theories and are pathological liars.

[@sunphoenix1231]

​@cybersandoval theories can be true, that's their definition.

[@abdulhammouda4884]

its a good video that. I would say when you are approaching conversations about this, if you do NOT accept that they are POSSIBLY right, you are starting from the same position as them. two people trying to understand each other has growth, two people trying to show how wrong the other is goes no where.

[@lucasrodillo6739]

The only reason to engage a conspiracy moron is to demonstrate to others that they aren't worthy of consideration and their ideas don't deserve respect. There's no point in arguing with a guy who thinks aliens built the pyramids or that the Earth is flat. There is no merit in those ideas, and people who entertain them didn't arrive to their beliefs through critical thinking. They take their ignorance as a point of pride, so there's no point in attempting to change their minds. Making ridicule out of their ridiculous ideas will further entrench them in them, but will also expose their silliness to people who might be on the fence.

[@nerd2814]

I cannot second this enough. NEVER assume that you are correct, nor assume that the other side is correct either.

[@pdcdesign9632]

The word people is PLURAL .😮

[@abdulhammouda4884]

@pdcdesign9632 ... Aye.

[@Aterdeusisunavailable]

I don't think it's coincidental that many of these personality and motivational traits are things that overlap HEAVILY with religious thinking. I was raised in a Black Southern Baptist tradition (protestant) and I've been witness to the ways in which certain types of protestant christian beliefs lend themselves to these kinds of things! The concept of Satan and spiritual warfare and the Lord rewarding you for faithfulness only exacerbates ideas of reference and many other things you mentioned. This is my first time encountering your channel lol so the algorithm did its thing. I'd love to see you cover the personality traits and motivational patterns among different religious communities!

[@sunsfever83]

A nation believing in invisible creatures from a 2000 year old book and believing in conspiracy theories? Who would have guessed it.

[@pdcdesign9632]

MAGA cultists lead that group 👏 😳

[@stephenlord599]

For some reason that was all I was thinking about through the video. I left thinking “when is or is not a religion a conspiracy theory “ because it sure ticked every box

[@brandonjade2146]

I swear some atheists irrationally hate religion so much it lives inside your head

[@OPSECHero]

Stop spewing toxic juvenile vomit.

[@briannelson27]

@@stephenlord599 Nail on the head. Religion and conspiracy theories are both type of unfalsifiable beliefs. It was handy of them to put all non falsifiable beliefs into one package: Qanon. Its got religion, conspiracies, antisemitism, white supremacy, cryptids, time travel, magic, everything!

[@thenarstar]

How to deal with Uncle Jerry or any other consiracy theorist is by counteracting with a "deeper" (AKA more ridiculous) conspiracy theory. Example: Jerry: The moon landings were all shot in a studio in LA. Me: You _believe_ in the moon?

[@MeloniousThunk]

Lmao this is hilarious. Thank you 😂

[@ketz_165]

@@MeloniousThunk Exactly, the liberals think they can get away with their moon projector!!! Have you seen this so called moon during the day? It's because those IDIOTS forgot to turn it off!! They have the moon projector to justify the sun's existence (when there's a sun there's a moon), and therefore push for CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNISM. They say they need money for "clean energy" when in reality it funds these projectors to keep us hypnotized in their sick ideology.

[@AnaPsychology]

😂

[@SparklyCoconut-le3fu]

When they talk about the new world order, how the elites want to create a one world government to enslaved us or whatever, I always say “that’s not much different from what we have now. The only difference is that we have nations and that makes no difference to the wealthy. Borders are inconsequential to them” They have a hard time getting around that response.

[@autumnpendergast9151]

A joke stolen from conspiracy theorists. Nice try.

[@witwisniewski2280]

Initial thoughts - Another important characteristic of conspiracy theories is that they always fit the data. To disprove them you have to "prove a negative" which is a philosophical conundrum. Proving a negative is best done by demonstrating a lack of evidence, but conspiracy theories *are* based on some evidence that are true.

[@StrangersIteDomum]

Conspiracy theory is a label used to avoid the evidence

[@marieann3355]

I understand, this can easily become unhealthy especially if its obsessive or very wild ideas, but there are quite a few examples where things that were once titled conspiracy theories came out to be true. People fail to reflect when that happens, all of the people that were titled silly conspiracy theorists were actually right! Being a critical thinker and not being afraid to challenge things is important in society, but there is also a balance. Too much distrust is unhealthy. But for example our government has a history of lacking transparency, and even outright lying. I believe its unhealthy to ignore those red flags/ repeated negative behavior and just 100% believe everything to be true. We see the way coorperations, lobbyists, government ect. tend to operate, its far from honesty and integrity

[@amys0482]

omg

[@airborneexplorer]

My brain appreciates your composition skills and abilities to State concepts in practical terms without the excessive amount of extra words and scattered format like I always word salad scavenger hunt and maze in the corn of wtf I'm actually trying to say.

[@marieann3355]

@@airborneexplorer

[@kevthepoet]

THANK YOU.

[@nickmiller9305]

My dad has been deep into conspiracy for over a decade now. It's sad, but it's not even a thing we can talk with him about anymore. Most of his knowledge of how the world works, government, infrastructure, society, all of it has been replaced with an entirely different model and world view. Over a decade of different books, website surfing, reading articles, documentaries, culminates into him living and existing in another world than the rest of his family. I have never really known what to do.

[@TwisterTornado]

What are his main beliefs?

[@whataboutthis10]

@@TwisterTornado that he can't fully trust his family

[@TwisterTornado]

@@whataboutthis10 You are not Nick Miller. Do not speak to me.

[@thomasj7506]

😂😂

[@thomdrolet2624]

Have you ever considered he may be right about some of those beliefs?

[@jso6790]

Initial thoughts (90 seconds in). My perception of conspiracy theorists is that they tend to be religiously-minded people, because religion requires belief in something with little to no evidence, priming someone to believe other things. Not all people who believe in conspiracy theories make it their personalities, which is important. Those that do, are likely people who feel powerless in the system, often correlated to loneliness, so that unraveling a conspiracy both accounts for their failures, casts blame on mysterious figures that can't be easily disproven since they can't be easily proven either. Such unraveling also makes them feel powerful, and special, because they are in possession of secret knowledge that they themselves were "smart" enough to figure out. The sharing of conspiracy theories (like religious observance) provides a reason for building community, as well. (ok...going to resume and see if I managed to get anything correct)- Oh yeah, something about Social Media, too, in feeding people confirmation to soothe their biases, whether the confirmation is credible or not.

[@jso6790]

So, I got some of it, but all of it. This was very interesting. Thank you! I find that it is very difficult with regards to my parents, who are not full blown conspiracists, but my mom did order The Epoch Times, which is a nonsense conspiracy rag funded by Falun Gong and enthusiastically supportive of those politicians who are MUCH-beloved by conspiracy theorists. The reason why it is difficult with parents is that conversations with parents are more sensitive and fraught as it is. Can you imagine being a person who has two children working in Higher Education and yet the things that Tucker Carlson said about what is happening on college campuses is what you believe, not the first-hand accounts of your own children?

[@robertspence7766]

I have always felt religion primes people to be conspiracy minded since religion requires belief in the absence of evidence, or mental gymnastics to twist evidence based observations to fit what they want to believe.

[@thesollylama130]

At it's core religion preps the belief that everything happens for a purpose and that there is someone or something actively controlling events. Whether that is a mysterious unknowable god or a shadowy mega corporation turning the freaking frogs gay.....there is always a 'real' reason behind every event.

[@MapleVo-yk4uz]

Been loving the concepts that you’ve been covering lately!

[@SimplyPreet]

Me too!!!!!

[@aubreylowe1361]

My brother was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and from the time I can remember was obsessed with conspiracy theories. As soon as I hear someone begin to talk about conspiracies I feel extremely uncomfortable. Thank you for this video🙏🏼

[@AnaPsychology]

Sorry to hear that about your brother :(

[@dcktater7847]

Well just cause you arent paranoid it doesnt mean they arent out to get you

[@DonDario777Volvo]

I'm sorry for your experiences. It's understandable why you react a certain way when hearing the word "conspiracy theory", but that doesn't mean that everything that sounds absurd to you, is just a conspiracy theory ! Evil is real and it seems to me that you have absolutely no clue how powerful Evil in this fallen world is ! God bless you and your house 🕊🕊🕊

[@aubreylowe1361]

Unfortunately I definitely know what evil is. You have no idea.

[@DonDario777Volvo]

@@aubreylowe1361 Dear Aubrey, I didn't say that you have indeed no idea about Evil, I just said that it seems so (to me). Could my assumption be wrong ? Absolutely ! You know, the problem is that the word "conspiracy theory" is used very inflationary and that is riduculous ! 🕊🕊🕊

[@acanbelina]

My mom and some of my aunts believe some conspiracies, and they grew up in a severely abusive household with a narcissistic mother and a passive father. My mom has a thirst for wisdom and struggles with her own deep rooted issues so it makes sense now. The conspiracies can be really believable at times, too, but if one theory is right that must mean they’re all right apparently 😅

[@Knytz]

One thing very common among flat-earthers is that they experienced any kind of trauma, especially in their childhood

[@AD-dg3zz]

​@@Knytzbro, that's way too vague

[@StrangersIteDomum]

Never believe any conspiracy theories. Never question the people that label the conspiracy theories. Eat your soylent green.

[@StrangersIteDomum]

Eat your soylent green

[@DeadRebornKid]

Genuinely thought the thumbnail said: 911 was an inside joke😭

[@Horrorbabe4]

It does

[@herrowutchuwant5903]

@@Horrorbabe4it definitely says job ! ❤

[@Shadowyartsdirty3]

It's literally the thumbnail

[@Horrorbabe4]

@Shadowyartsdirty3 no it says inside job not inside joke

[@WhatWhy42]

Are you not amused?! 😔

[@t-shades7148]

13:13 The irony of being persuaded by low quality evidence and manipulated by malevolent forces is something I've noticed for a while but have had such a hard time putting into words!

[@williambeckett6336]

Always remember the main driving force: What the conspiracy theory actually says is really irrelevant. What IS relevant is the loser/dead-ender knows the "secret information" and therefore has secret value themselves. This is the driving force. Its ego stroking. The loser convinces themselves they're a benefactor to their species and a threat to the forces of "darkness" looking to destroy it. This makes them a "hero" in their fantasy escapism world. And the fact the people they're trying to "save" are the very ones who are mocking and deriding them and you add a big ol' heap of martyr complex. And this "secret information" allows those who are undereducated (and painfully aware of that) feel vastly more intelligent then those around them who actually are or may be. It is entirely ego-stroking, narcassistic escapism and a need to believe one is far more important and significant then they ever will be. And BTW: You do not have to be poor to feel this way or to be a loser/dead-ender in your mind.

[@RicardoFernandez-wh8sq]

Sounds like conspiracies theories are a coping mechanism for people with self worth issues and have trouble with complexity. The amazing thing is the complexity of the mental gymnastics some of these people are capable of in order to maintain their beliefs.

[@christopherrobin361]

Actually many people who claim they are "above" conspiracy theorists prefer simple and sound bite answers for things in life. Speaking of having "trouble with complexity . . "

[@s4rcelle]

Trying to read meaningful discussion comments on this video, and instead I keep seeing spambots talk about ebooks and skincare 😭

[@strawpiglet]

Half my posts are censored even after I have learned many of the trigger words, yet KZbin cannot stop the blatant spammers.

[@meis7]

same i hate those comments 😭 i hope they clean them or something

[@AnaPsychology]

I know this probably won’t help much in the long run, but I have a video scheduled on bots where I call out some of these scammers

[@StrangersIteDomum]

Yeah, they need to censor the dissent. Thats not a conspiracy!

[@jujubesification]

Ok, it sounds to me like it's not so much the belief in the existence of conspiracies? It's seems like it is more about people spending a lot of time in talking and thinking about specific conspiracy theories? I not only believe but know that there are plenty of groups of people conspiring out there, trying to achieve their aims over others - some of them more, and others of them less successfully. I am not able to name specific ones off the top of my head. But I'm also not naive. It just doesn't have my focus, because why would I spend my valuable time on this? I would rather spend my time on constructive things.

[@malifex9922]

Qanon has absolutely devastated so many families in recent years. We desperately need critical thinking taught better in schools to combat our increasing predilection towards conspiracies. Sadly, doing that weakens faith claims, so religion will fight it tooth and nail.

[@iSeven1000]

congratz on 500k!

[@AnaPsychology]

Thank you! :)

[@whataboutthis10]

Time to develop some conspiracies about Ana!)

[@danielcarroll5667]

"Uncle Jerry" says "just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you" ! "

[@f1shman224]

“BUT”

[@amandabottoms1]

Conspiracy theories became un-fun when I realized people really believe that stuff.

[@Jalapeno101]

I used to love Alex Jones back in the day because I thought he was hilarious… then i realized people actually believed what he was saying 👀 👀 👀

[@agm5424]

To the willfully ignorant a "conspiracy theorist" is deliberately misused as a synonym to "someone who doesn't blindly and completely believe the ruling class/government like I/we do". And a "conspiracy theory" is, to them, a synonym of "any idea that portrays the ruling class/state in a bad light". But because neither of those aren't exactly illogical, especially when looking at history, they use words like "conspiracy" as a euphemism. The ironic thing is is that a conspiracy/people conspiring, especially people in power, isn't illogical either. Conspiracy literally means a group of people (con-) working together to achieve/make real a commonly shared goal/aspiration (-spiracy/aspire) and history is full of them, of both the clandestine type and mundane type.

[@AffectedArea]

This video and most comments are like something from pre-2015 KZbin.

[@sunphoenix1231]

This video seems to take the label of conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists in a disingenuous light. Especially in the suggestion that it comes from narcissistic or self interested personalities.

[@dskyyksd]

Arguing with most people about 9/11 is like Picard arguing with the Cardassians about how many lights he sees.

[@rainblaze.]

"Conspiracy theories is associated with low intalect".. Sounds about right to be honest The fact that this is now the default and immediate go to for ALOT of people now, is worrying indeed for the future of our sociaty

[@martiendejong8857]

Yeah, imagine all the things people believe about how Donald Trump is conspiring against America.

[@rainblaze.]

@martiendejong8857 Oooh-kay?.... 🤷

[@martiendejong8857]

@@rainblaze. What, ooo-kay? You're not telling me you believe these crazy conspiracy theories right?

[@rainblaze.]

@@martiendejong8857 WHAT?? Thats what you took from that?.... Oooh-kay!! 🙄🤷🤷

[@RED-my9hl]

​@@rainblaze. Americans are weird yo

[@emanuelcaparelli]

It's interesting that the types of people prone to belief in conspiracy theories are the ones experiencing the most internal turmoil and chaos, e.g. schizoid and paranoid types. It would appear that it's a sort of projecting of the inner experience onto the external world. Also I have seen friends of mine who have been betrayed in interpersonal relationships be more prone to conspiratorial thinking because their experience of others has been undermined to some degree. All that said, I tend to keep an open mind to conspiracy theories, because you frankly never know. The more conspiratorial thinking is shamed in our society, the more vigilant I feel I must be to its possibility. When looking at a conspiracy, one could ask: would these people stand to benefit from a conspiracy to a degree that is worth the risk? And does their moral character lack enough in integrity that they would pursue such a plot? I think both of those points are tough to evaluate, and some may jump to conclusions one way or the other.

[@AnaPsychology]

Agreed on both points! It’s always good to keep an open mind until you have all the evidence. What I find interesting is that sometimes conspiracy theorists who believe in more outlandish theories seem very open-minded to low-quality “evidence,” but they then seem very closed-off to evidence that would disprove the theory. I guess paranoia trumps all other considerations in those situations!

[@bt8593]

​@AnaPsychology I'm reminded of a clip in which some flat earthers set up a pretty good experiment involving a light, camera, 2 slitted boards and controlled elevation above sea level and when the results suggested that there was not a flat plane they still felt that something was "off".

[@whataboutthis10]

Study finds conspiratorial thinking correlates with disorders which correlate with conspiratorial thinking.

[@franjkav]

I’m schizoid and not remotely into conspiracy theories. I’m probably less conspiracy minded than most even.

[@lucasrodillo6739]

​@@franjkavfor my experience with the suggestions Facebook threw at me, conspiracy theorists are very intellectually lazy people. Incapable of assessing or critiquing any information they receive, and quick to fall for thought-terminating clichés whenever challenged. So maybe you have a working bs detector?

[@davidbowman2035]

I am not a conspiracy theorist. I look at evidence for myself.

[@mytmouse57]

So, did you find evidence for yourself? Or is your existence still in question?

[@paulgordon6949]

​@@mytmouse57 haha. Good one!

[@TheologyUnleashed]

"conspirational" is that really the word they used in an academic paper? Calling a conspiracy theorist conspiratorial is like calling someone suspicious of a murder murderous.

[@TheDionysianFields]

I think you're missing a key piece of the puzzle: isolation. Or at least a sense of isolation (which can often lead to actual self-isolation). Also, we need a distinction between casual and bonafide conspiracy theorists. A true conspiracy theorist will take some sort of action upon genuine fears (prepping, storing weapons, acquiring surveillance gear), while a casual theorist is just going along with the herd to ease their dissonance--and hence not much of a threat to society. As you indicated, most of us are casual conspiracy theorists.

[@whataboutthis10]

But people who are not a threat to society are a threat to society.

[@TheDionysianFields]

@@whataboutthis10 Only in mass numbers, when things get out of hand. In normal times, social pressure keeps conspiracy nonsense to a minimum.

[@StrangersIteDomum]

A dumb flock is easier to control

[@courtcomposer]

Excellent video. I have been dealing with a family member who is a full blown conspiranoic. It got so bad I broke off contact. People can beleive all they want but when they constantly push their views on others then cutting off contact is best.

[@trichomaxxx]

I seems to me the way they approached these studies was kind of blind. they should've separated the people who were drawn to false conspiracy theories to those who were drawn to real ones (stuff like MKULTRA and those reported by Snowden and Assange). Im betting there are some really smart people capable of good logical reasoning that wouldn't see false patterns more than the rest of society but are still distrustful of authority and score high on narcissism.

[@strawpiglet]

That’s the thing, if you try to judge based on the theory being true, you yourself have to be highly aware and honest enough to know yourself, and these are extremely rare traits. It’s like getting an atheist to do a study on whether religious people are right, or vice versa. Instead, you have to measure what efforts people made to come to their beliefs and were they logical - not based on emotion, straw men, appeal to authority, etc.

[@trichomaxxx]

@strawpiglet I was thinking in just getting their conclusions and assuming if they have the right conclusions then their reasoning is also correct. There are some things that are clear cut like the earth is obviously not flat, the CIA did some really shady stuff in their mkultra program and the NSA engages in massive data collection. But I can see in areas where there's no definitive proof could be harder to assess. Don't have any good ideas but its clear to me that not everybody drawn to conspiracy theories are drawn to the fake ones, and it's kind of unfair painting everyone suspicious of the mainstream narratives as stupid. There's even probably great societal value that people like that exists, the majority can be wrong and going in the wrong direction (like during nazism), so it's good to have people who detract by default and go against the norm.

[@franmari]

@@strawpiglet religion is not a great example because the premise of religion is an unfalsifiable hypothesis. mkultra is a great example bc there are true events that are documented by people directly involved but then people use the true events to extrapolate and come to untrue conclusions about a grand scheme. the cia wasn’t hiding valuable mind control research, sidney gottlieb and his associates were doing hallucinogens all the time and convinced themselves that drugging people would make total mind controlled sleeper agents possible, they had zero oversight and too much power and they used the excuse of “mind control research” to basically drug and traumatize people. no grand scheme just dudes being insane with no accountability. we already know how to get people to do immoral things for the govt, it is called bribery and it works way better and is way less of a liability. i hope this makes sense

[@AnaPsychology]

YES, I was thinking this too! A lot of the conspiracies being screened in the studies were very outlandish and offensive (e.g. antisemitic ones, 9/11 was a hoax, etc.). I completely agree that we probably wouldn’t see such high degrees of psychopathology if a wider range of conspiracy theories had been tested. Though I do wonder if that might be complicated in and of itself, for researchers to position themselves as authorities on which conspiracy theories are real and which ones aren’t.

[@Polleej]

@@AnaPsychology You brought up 9/11, Any idea of how to explain Building 7? If one asks too many questions, one is labelled a conspiracy theorist. OTOH, know what questions not to ask and you can have a nice big youtube channel. You never ask what those who defend mainstream ideas get out of THEIR stated beliefs. It only ever goes one way and the mainstream people couldn't possibly benefit either from a feeling of belonging or to keep their jobs or anything like that, could they?

[@kineticculture8771]

Now do the psychology of complicity theorists.

[@whataboutthis10]

No no those are not to be criticised!

[@mytmouse57]

That sounds like a conspiracy.

[@personanongrata987]

Your video has a lot to absorb--and it confirms my own biases against conspiracy theories. My experience is that conspiracy theorists are contrarians. --

[@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree]

Contrarianism is a good way to feel like an iconoclast with something important to say without actually needing any substance.

[@karlpower5476]

I lost a relationship with my dad over his attitude towards conspiracy theories. All he did for the last two decades was work then go home and sit on his laptop. He had no hobbies and rarely went out. He had purposefully had nothing better to. Come up to more recent times and every conversation with him was about conspiracy theories. It went from harmless stuff like mothman to pure delusional like flat earth. I told him i had no interest in his beliefs and he took offense to that throwing insults at me calling blind, stupid and woke. I avoid social media for that reason and started getting it from my dad. I miss the man he used to be. He much prefers the company of online strangers and cults to the relationship with his own son.

[@eudjcichdjxj2849]

Wow this video is actually very interesting to me since my close family members are into this.. and I've seen some similar personality patterns but I never really got into analysing it. I think its very important to try to understand their ways of thinking so we dont isolate them and deepen their distrust towards people.

[@thesollylama130]

I once did an experiment on a random forum (I think it was a sportbike riders forum, circa 2004). I listed a bunch of hooey from homeopathy to healing crystals to alien abduction to water divining, etc. to see the replies. Sure enough-- pretty much everyone came in to defend to the death ONE of the things I listed, but also to be condescending and toxic to people that believed in anything else on the list. It was really telling that people were outright offended that their sacred cow was included on this list of obvious nonsense. Then the commenters went after each other with more venom than you'd expect. These beliefs run deep and the gloves came off right away. Ad homs, strawman arguments, all your favorite logical fallacies. That was 20 years ago. I can only imagine how much worse it would be today.

[@belowbaseline8429]

The problem is everything that doesn’t fit into what a specialist says, or some official government narrative gets labeled conspiracy theory which at this point has basically become a word devoid of meaning. I’ve studied economics for half of my life (I’m 40) and many things labeled conspiracy theories are just obvious possibilities that are completely in line with incentives and motivations that an individual, small group, or larger uncoordinated group would want as an end result for something. Incentives and motivators are much better ways of accessing what’s possible within the realm of people acting in cooperation with each other to achieve the same outcomes. The word conspiracy theory has become a pejorative to just explain away something that’s not in line with the narrative wanted pushed by those who are in control of spreading information, and in control of other institutions from spreading information (or control of institutions to spread information.)

[@TwoForFlinchin1]

It's become the word for people like you who vaguely gesture something being wrong with never getting into any specifics because then you'd have to actually defend your claims with evidence. Unlike the good conspiracy theorists like Snowden and Assange who actually did get evidence and did get punished for going against the government.

[@RED-my9hl]

That is not true lol

[@Bulma410]

I feel that when expressing to someone that their source in unreliable, the most common counter is that the raw data or reliable sources are part of the conspiracy. The "fake news" rhetoric has had such an impact on discussing these theories with others. I'd love any recommendations on how to deal with that one when it comes up.

[@Horrorbabe4]

I'd imagine the belief in a conspiracy theory brings a great sense of calm to someone who needs an answer for something that doesn't HAVE an answer... I can only relate because of my past with how religion made me feel though... i wont make this into a mean atheist comment though.

[@AnaPsychology]

Definitely!

[@Horrorbabe4]

@AnaPsychology :)

[@JIX9ISLER1986]

@@AnaPsychology yes 9-11 was an inside job (i can give you well over 50 examples of predictive programming showing it was going to happen before 2001 in movies, books, comics, TV shows ect same with C-19 Nothing is done by accident or coincidence The powers that run this world are luciferian (global elites)….Problem is we live in a world of censorship and paid shills and people too lazy to actually research things beyond mainstream media aka propaganda

[@JIX9ISLER1986]

@@AnaPsychology the better question is …why marginalize the discussion by calling things "conspiracy" instead of actually understanding that maybe you live in an evil world…True is people call things conspiracy as a excuse to not do any research .

[@tobinfolly901]

@@JIX9ISLER1986 I don't think they're calling it a 'conspiracy' because they want to marginalize but rather because a conspiracy is, literally, a secret agreement by a group of conspirators to undertake an illegal, subversive and/or wrongful act. So, it's any theory that such action has or is taking place is, pretty much by definition, a conspiracy theory.

[@Thatdeal79]

Most people I know of who believe in conspiracy theories are not narcissists. However I noticed that the people I know who are obvious narcissists always believe in conspiracy theories. I think the reason being is it’s something they can use to act like they are smarter than everyone else around. Being able to tell another person they are dumb, gullible or in the dark while saying you are the smart one makes conspiracy theory perfect for someone with a narcissistic personality.

[@MeloniousThunk]

Ana, I absolutely love that you’re talking about this and sharing this research with us. Super interesting topic! It’s fascinating to see the correlations between some traits I wouldn’t necessarily have suspected, like a sense of victimization, and a predisposition to belief in conspiracy theories. Thanks for teaching me the term “collective narcissism,” too. I didn’t have a word for this but it fits right into the colonialist behaviors of those who tend to wield coercive control, which is something I’ve been reading and thinking about a lot.

[@jacofoot9940]

The thing I've found that dismantled a lot of the things I believed was science education. Understanding more about physics and our psychology pointed out a lot of wild things I just went along with. It still does. Having awareness of the logical fallacies I'm capable of made me start to rethink the way I think.

[@markstrike-y1g]

15:26 i do the same thing too. 😂😂 Like most people I think Conspiracy theorists just want to feel special. So they feel like they have special knowledge no one has.

[@dxcSOUL]

Flat earthers are a great example. Just a bunch of sad people coming together, demanding respect and attention.

[@korra999c7]

I find that many of them are more invested in building themselves up as a Neo figure (Matrix) and calling others “sheep” , rather than actually doing any actual research on their conspiracies.

[@Mandelasmind]

@@korra999c7define research ?

[@Polleej]

@@korra999c7 I'm sure you're right in some cases. But neither you nor Anna ever ask what those who defend mainstream ideas get out of THEIR stated beliefs. It only ever goes one way and the mainstream people couldn't possibly benefit either from a feeling of belonging or to keep their jobs or anything like that, could they?

[@korra999c7]

@@Polleej And how would you know that I never question the motives of those who blindly defend mainstream beliefs? Being someone whose political beliefs aren’t mainstream, and who is open-minded towards some conspiracy theories, I’ve questioned mainstream positions as well. In my first post, I simply said that “MANY” (not ALL) conspiracy theorists are more invested in their self-image than the actual research.

[@RevStickleback]

I have always thought conspiracy theorists gain self-esteem from their beliefs, as it gives them a false sense of superiority having 'figured out the truth' that ordinary people can't. This also makes it harder to convince them they are wrong, as that would involve them admitting they have been dumb. It also doesn't help that there are grifters making a lot of money off these people, telling them not to trust mainstrean media, or NASA, or the government - basically telling them don't trust any credible source of information.

[@WarmProp]

Then again, conspiracy deniers are a class of false superiority of their own - up there with Dawkins

[@lucasrodillo6739]

What exactly is a conspiracy denier?

[@Yatukih_001]

I think that most of these conspiracy deniers are narcissists.

[@07087joenj]

ah no

[@roccov1972]

These descriptions explain so much of what's going on with people these days. Thanks.

[@1schwererziehbar1]

I remember when I was afraid to have a different opinion than the majority. When I was 10.

[@mytmouse57]

Not having a majority opinion is the new majority opinion.

[@pwabd2784]

This is that narcissistic aspect she discusses in the video. The need to feel better than others. "I stopped following the crowd when I was a child and then I grew up, I'm better than you."

[@calebleland8390]

The latest trend that absolutely frightens me is this trend of making tik Tok videos where they actually use the phrase "proud conspiracy theorist", like it's a badge of honor. And when pressed, they simply come back (every single one of them) with how the difference between a conspiracy and the truth is 6 months. No, you just believe that. Keep your crazy hidden, please.

[@LilBrownieD]

What an excellent and comprehensive overview of reseach!

[@evelynivison4196]

This is really interesting. I started watching conspiracy theories after I went through a big trauma and felt like they completely validated my paranoia, even though I wasn’t really believing them.

[@richlambeth7050]

I think part of my issue has always been with defining realistic vs. nonrealistic conspiracies. Whether you believe Al Qaeda did 9/11 or the US government as some black flag operation, you still believe some organization conspired against the American populace. So, how do we realistically label one as outlandish and the other as plausible.

[@franjkav]

What is the goal of assigning the differing labels

[@richlambeth7050]

​@@franjkav One is in line with reasonable risk assessment, and the other can result in unwarranted dangerous behavior. Believing that corporations are attempting to exploit legal grey areas to capitalize on our poor impulse control, and do so even at the expense of our health can motivate an individual to take more control over personal life choices. Belief that the US government is doing genetic experiments on unwilling subjects in order to test their latest weapon could encourage someone to burn down a federal building. I was part of the military so I'm not exactly opposed to aggression as a solution but in general, it should always be with very strong evidence that the party in question is attempting to commit harm.

[@TwoForFlinchin1]

Evidence. Not that hard

[@richlambeth7050]

@@TwoForFlinchin1 Every conspiracy believer that I've ever run into, from flat earthers to hollow earthers thought they had the evidence that others were just too stupid to see. Very few people actually sign up for belief in something without what they believe to be legitimate evidence.

[@williamcashell6357]

I don’t come here a lot but it looks like your channel is really growing. Great work, glad to see its paying off.

[@wrongname2702]

As someone diagnosed with a personality disorder I was a little offended by the intro but hearing that it wasn't my own diagnosis was kinda nice. I am infected by too much reality not a fancy made up version. However, I do like to engage with conspiracy theorists because they are fun to unravel. Agreeing with them in a controlled manner can really make a person open up to you and find connections that can last for a long while. It's also interesting to see how their minds work overtime to do the mental gymnastics required to cling to a theory.

[@Mnicolette130]

I can honestly speak to this as I have OCD and before I found out I had OCD, when I was 11-14 I was really obsessed with conspiracy theories. It was to the point I had a journal and started connecting dates to other things. I don’t want to say it was traumatic for me, but in some aspects it was because I was quite the weirdo. I should also say I was doing online school which didn’t help. It was very much leaning onto the paranoid things. I suppose I was in a psychotic type state as well since I would tell people these things as I was convinced of them. I’ve moved past that period in my life, but do not like to reminisce in that period because I was psychotic in the head. How I got away from this type of thinking was just by watching comedians make fun of conspiracy theorists and questioning myself.

[@atomsk_arson]

"Just because you're paranoid don't mean they're not after you." -Nirvana

[@TwisterTornado]

Technically...Jack Handy.

[@whataboutthis10]

The people diagnosing you as paranoid are self-reporting as them spies, trying to cover up and distract you

[@atomsk_arson]

​​​@@TwisterTornado No, you are mistaken, It is from the book catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Regardless of the origin of the quote it is not wrong to attribute it to Nirvana because they did also say it. I actually have an appreciation for pedantic corrections, given that they aren't patently false.

[@TwisterTornado]

@@atomsk_arson Alright, you got me. I thought it was like that one about painted wood reindeer antlers...

[@atomsk_arson]

​​​@@TwisterTornadoThat is correct! And no hard feelings!

[@memberberry5898]

i love it when public figures start talking about // noticing patterns // . we need more noticing in this world

[@galifan]

"noticing patterns" is a neo Nazi dog whistle

[@-loveless-]

Is 911 still considered a conspiracy theory?

[@shamanahaboolist]

No. It was NATO and we all know it.

[@CmoreBoobs]

Were did the 2 trillion dollar s disappear few days before it happened 😂

[@lucasrodillo6739]

The 9/11 attacks were the conclusion of a conspiracy. By Al Qaeda, to carry a terror attack in the US.

[@benminor31]

Some of the best advice I've heard, not just in regards to conspiracy theories: model the behavior that you want to see 😊 In particular Emotional Maturity, Emotional Regulation, and Fact Checking. ❤ Thank you for this video! (First time viewer)

[@Broku.420]

Not all conspiracies are theories.

[@soumyajoseph7429]

Before watching the video one of my thoughts is that general intelligence is not correlated with a susceptibility to conspiracy theories.

[@frankiecal3186]

Edward Snowden and Julian Assange are my favorite conspiracy theoriest.

[@kevthepoet]

THANK YOU

[@kornklown420]

I fell into conspiracy theories in college, but this had more to do with the fact that it was my first time being introduced to it. Had dial up before college (lived kinda in the middle of nowhere), and KZbin was still pretty new, so when I started seeing these "documentaries" about these different topics, my brain was just like "this must be true, a documentary wouldn't lie!" 😂

[@nyxcole9879]

Conspiracy is real who needs theories. Just sayin'.

[@Polleej]

How does Dr Ana explain Building 7? If one asks too many questions, one is labelled a conspiracy theorist. OTOH, know what questions not to ask and you can have a nice big youtube channel. She never asks what those who defend mainstream ideas get out of THEIR stated beliefs. In her world, it only ever goes one way and the mainstream people couldn't possibly benefit either from a feeling of belonging or to keep their jobs or anything like that.

[@nyxcole9879]

@Polleej exactly 💯

[@whataboutthis10]

@@Polleej a mainstream creator criticising alternative ideas be kinda sus ngl

[@HerrPoopschitz]

@@PolleejOne of the problems is conspiracy theorists think they have THE answer after questioning, rather than questioning and concluding they just can’t know. It’s a problem of logical reasoning, which she mentions.

[@modera.torrent_]

Thats why folks like us reject the term "conspiracy theorists", we are "conspiracy realists". Don't allow them to gaslight you by associating you with that insulting term meant to discredit people spitting the truth.

[@danw.7935]

Have you ever planned a surprise party? That was a conspiracy

[@Chiffoid]

And then, conspiracy theory becomes somewhat of a mainstream and the tables are flipped

[@amys0482]

It's more propaganda

[@SageWon-1aussie]

Who's flipping tables?

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

Initial thoughts: Most people want someone to believe. In the absence of explanations for important events, some people will make up explanations. Many other people will accept those explanations because not knowing makes them anxious.

[@Fr33styler]

I like to think I don't believe in conspiracy theories or at least if I do I'm able to discredit them as soon as I have proof of the opposite

[@whataboutthis10]

"I believe I'm so fking rational"

[@Fr33styler]

@whataboutthis10 can you tell me more on why you think this about me?

[@TwoForFlinchin1]

It's really funny that so many people will play lawyer on the definition of conspiracy but then also deny that they have a theory when theories are what explain an entire body of facts. The word they're thinking of is hypothesis, an idea that hasn't been proven, but they're too "busy doing their own research" to figure that out.

[@KevD_]

I have a friend who has fallen down the conspiracy rabbit hole. I am trying to help him to see the light but I am having little success. However, he does respect that I challenge his beliefs respectfully. When we talk about what is really going on in the world he is dismissive of me like I am the stereotypical conspiracy theorist. Apparently, I am a "russophobe" and I "just hate Trump". I appreciate the irony of not my predicament. He talks about the mythical "they". When I ask who "they" are, he cannot give an answer to me. Your video resonates with me. I see in my friend many of the things you describe. I shall continue to challenge his beliefs and try to help him back to the light.

[@MoonAddict2024]

I am sorry that you're kind of losing your friend to this nonsense. I think the best thing you can do is live by example and still include him in your life as much as it's okay for your own mental health and safety. I think people like this often exclude themselves from society and then all of their fears become a self fulfilling prophecy. Take care of yourself too and good luck. I hope your friend comes back to reality.

[@AustinSimco-pc1qh]

"Thinking everything is about you." Until that statement, I thought, "finally something that isn't about me."

[@7soniclight7]

As soon as you began at approximately 1:29, you seemed to totally abandon your relatively neutral definition of conspiracy theories for an inherently dysfunctional one. The entire slant of your peace makes conspiracy theories seem to be only false and or delusional. Using your original definition, it would seem the people that have those tendencies to be able to embrace a conspiracy theory, would be an asset society, and then they could see through to the truth of the matter I’m bringing existing conspiracies to light .

[@briannelson27]

Correct about what she did. Conspiracy theories ARE false or delusional. If they were real, they would just be conspiracies, like project mk ultra or the syphilis thing with black men in america.

[@Alan_Duval]

It seems to me that there's a lot of scaffolding within the various elements you covered, such that a slight predisposition to a few of the traits (which may come together in a disorder like narcissism) could easily start someone down the conspiracy theory path with only a slight nudge, and then it becomes somewhat self-sustaining, to the point that only something quite dramatic (or, sadly, traumatic) is going to push them outside of themselves enough to gain the necessary perspective to see the conspiracies for what they are.

[@myword1000]

What's the difference between Conspiracy Theory and Conspiracy Fact? About six months.

[@lucasrodillo6739]

Keep telling yourself that, sport

[@BeeIncarnate]

I love the content- fascinating and explains a lot! One tiny bit of constructive criticism: the bubble-popping noise is SUPER annoying

[@will.davlin]

Socks to sleep = more dreams😊😂🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊

[@janefaceinthewind6260]

Lol 😆

[@rexwave4624]

Dr. Ana, what’s your pen name for your fiction?

[@patrikhorak2577]

What's the difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth? Half a year.

[@tabernacletavern9379]

Why should we help someone who believes in a harmful conspiracy theory? I struggle with confrontation. Why do I used to feel like I had to gently guide someone towards better information and now I feel like I should let them believe whatever they want? Is it that I'm tired of caring? Am I afraid of losing their friendship so I allow their delusions to thrive? Or did I actually stop caring about people and what they think?

[@CJ-gs1jk]

"There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes." - ✨️Edward Bernays✨️

[@strawpiglet]

It’s funny how criminals love to brag. Reminds me of Pompeo: We lied, we cheated, we stole.

[@Mandelasmind]

It’s interesting because he’s part of the reason why I’ve come around to accept conspiracy theorists more than ever.

[@TwisterTornado]

​@@strawpiglet He just didn't think that it was wrong. That simple. He really believed that the dumb masses needed to be controlled.

[@whataboutthis10]

@@TwisterTornado still responsible for the attrocities tho. Just in case you were anyhow unsure if 'idiot logic' could excuse him.

[@TwisterTornado]

@@whataboutthis10 Why would I be? Do you have any idea how offensive you are?

[@Alan_Duval]

OK, so, as requested, at the outset my assumption is: Everyone believes some conspiracy theories (especially if we include conspiracy theories that attempt to explain actual conspiracies). Some people are more inclined to believe conspiracies than others, in general, and some people are more inclined to believe certain types of conspiracy theories, and some people are less inclined to believe conspiracy theories, but still unwittingly believe some (probably because they adopted the belief while they were younger, and the theory in question hasn't been subjected to more recent scrutiny).

[@aiaki807]

Multiple things can be true at once

[@dskyyksd]

It is not irrational to ask the following question whenever strange shit happens: who benefits?

[@9Ballr]

No, but it is irrational to believe that if someone benefited from something strange that happened that they are the reason it happened.

[@sheep4521]

Basically, a Conspiracy Theorist is anyone who doesn’t believe what you a reported in the billionaire own and funded media

[@amys0482]

like Fox News?

[@toweypat]

This is the first video of yours that I've seen. I really like your presentation and your subject :) Keep up the good work!

[@aragorniielessar1894]

Sauron is behind it all.

[@Nick-kf3io]

Yes! That's what I've been saying. He's behind the Vaccines

[@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree]

True

[@slideroolz]

It's no coincidence that Dr Ana is really 'Drana' which is 'Hello, Friend' in Martian

[@apple1231230]

I hold the “conspiracy theories” I do because of critical thinking

[@SageWon-1aussie]

Critical thinking is being critical of yourself, not of others.

[@expensivepink7]

Conspiracy theories don’t inherently involve critical thought, though. I say this as someone who believes in many. But why are so many people seemingly getting defensive about this? While many have made points, many are true, there are also very many that are exactly the things talked about here. And have more to do with the grasp for critical thought to feel pleasurable and capable in your own head, because real critical thought is frequently unrewarding

[@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree]

Ah yes, the conclusion of "Space Lasers from a major world religion" Such critical thinking. Much smart.

[@apple1231230]

@@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree what does that even mean? I believe in conspiracy theroies that make sense not things akin to flat earth. Do i believe in aliens? yes. do i think they are here or know about us? well, i WANT to believe, but im not convinced and wouldn't be surprised in either direction. was 9/11 an inside job? well, does america love war and oil? are chem trails real? i doubt it does big pharma and the corporate health world want americans to be uneducated and as unhealthy as possible so as to be utterly reliant upon their temporary solutions they helped cause? seems like common sense to me. Is fluorine in water bad for you? I dont really care, but it might or might not be. Are birds real? absolutely not

[@sarahsander785]

It's creepy how you basically portrayed my father in this video. Even to the point that my father changes his mind on certain topics depending on how well he feels.

[@imacmill]

On September 11, 2001, The North Tower began its collapse with the top section tilting off to the side by approximately 23 degrees, and as the OFF-CENTER top section fell, the rest of the building deconstructed itself, floor by floor, systematically and SYMMETRICALLY, almost all the way to the ground. ChatGPT admits that such physical behavior is inexplicable, and none of the usual 'explanations' hold up under even the smallest scrutiny. To this day, there remains 2977 souls crying out for justice. And countless thousands more restless souls that were redrummed 'over there' in the aftermath.

[@dskyyksd]

Chat GPT doesn't believe in miracles? Who knew?

[@SkyGreg101]

If ever there was an important video that all of my relatives should watch, it’s this one.