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£5 at the door to attend this event, which includes a ticket for our book raffle.Conspiracy theories often allege that important world events can be explained as the result of secret plots by the powerful. They propose alternative understandings or descriptions of events, commonly highlighting threats to our health, wellbeing or liberty. But why would explanations which make the world appear more threatening be appealing compared to mainstream explanations?
Morbid curiosity describes the tendency to seek out information about threatening or dangerous situations and is associated with an interest in threat-related entertainment, such as horror films or true crime. Can a morbid curiosity about potential threats lead people down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories?
Across three studies, we found evidence suggesting a relationship between morbid curiosity and conspiracy theories. With those higher in morbid curiosity having higher general belief in conspiracy theories, a higher perception of threat in conspiratorial explanations of events, and a greater interest in learning more about conspiratorial explanations of events, compared to mainstream explanations. Greater curiosity about the minds of dangerous people was consistently the strongest predictor of conspiracy theory belief and interest, suggesting a desire to learn more about the motivations of dangerous ‘others’ being key to the appeal of conspiracy theories.
Dr Joe Stubbersfield is a senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Winchester, UK. His research draws on social learning, cultural evolution, and cognitive anthropology - focusing on how biases in cognition shape way that information spreads through social networks, particularly misinformation, conspiracy theories, and urban legends.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Winchester Club, Winchester, United Kingdom
