How to talk to someone about conspiracy theories in five simple steps

By Daniel Jolley, Assistant Professor in Social Psychology, University of Nottingham
Karen Douglas, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Kent
Mathew Marques, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, La Trobe University

People’s first instinct when engaging with conspiracy believers is often to try and debunk their ideas with factual and authoritative information.

However, direct confrontation rarely works. Conspiracy theories are persuasive, often playing on people’s feelings and sense of identity. Even if debunking conspiracy theories was effective, it’s difficult to keep up with how quickly they appear and how widespread they travel. A study showed that during 2015 and 2016, the number…

Read complete article

~	Getting to know Alexandra Philbin: A Q&A with an Irish language activist

~	Trump trial reveals details about how the former president thinks about, and exploits, the media

~	Why the potential for another Donald Trump presidency is making Iran very nervous

~	Labor facing heavy defeat in Queensland, but faring better in federal polls

~	We reconstructed landscapes that greeted the first humans in Australia around 65,000 years ago

~	What do we lose when our old suburbs disappear?

~	Does fighting inflation always lead to recession? What 60 years of NZ data can tell us

~	Australia: Rights Vetting Crucial for Defence Cooperation

~	How visas for social care workers may be exacerbating exploitation in the sector

~	Why the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service should be designated as a provincial police service