The motivations and reputational consequences of spreading conspiracy theories.

ABSTRACT: Some people deliberately spread conspiracy theories. What are the reputational benefits and costs of doing so? The Adaptive-Conspiracism hypothesis proposes that it pays to be vigilant against possible conspiracies, especially in case of intergroup threat. Those who spread conspiracy theories may therefore be seen as valuable group members. Few studies have focused on the reputational impact of spreading a conspiracy theory. We conducted five studies (N_Pilot = 303; N_Study1 = 388; N_Study2 = 560; N_Study3 = 391; N_Study4 = 373) where participants rated a conspiracy spreader (vs. a neutral person) on a range of personality traits in different intergroup contexts. The results indicated that conspiracy spreaders were consistently perceived as

SUBMITTER: Cao S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11600388 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature