 (1).png){kind=spacer}
2 months ago
11
Thousands of people around the world woke up yesterday morning hoping it would be their last day on Earth.
The 'Rapture' was a theory put forward by a South African pastor, claiming that Jesus would return to Earth on September 23, causing his followers to rise into the sky to meet him.
While the theory was widely peddled across social media, it never came to fruition – leaving many believers disappointed.
So, why were so many people convinced that the Rapture was real?
According to a recent study, it comes down to arrogance.
Earlier this year, scientists from Cornell University found that people who believe in conspiracy theories are likely to be hugely overconfident.
And it could go some way to explaining why it's impossible to try and change their minds.
'One of the thing that seems to distinguish – at least some – conspiracy theorists is not just that their beliefs seem to be based on poor evidence, but also that they appear so confident in their beliefs,' study author Gordon Pennycook, an associate professor at Cornell University, told PsyPost.
The 'Rapture' was a theory flouted by a South African pastor, claiming that Jesus would return to Earth on September 23, causing his followers to rise into the sky to meet him
Scientists from Cornell University carried out the research in a bid to understand why people believe in wild claims – especially those that have been widely rejected by experts and the broader public.
They carried out eight separate studies involving 4,181 participants in the US who were asked to complete various cognitive tasks.
To measure their overconfidence, they were also asked to estimate how well they believed they had performed.
The team then compared these overconfidence scores to how strongly individuals endorsed conspiracy theories, including that the moon landing was faked or that vaccines are part of a government control plot.
Analysis, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, revealed a strong link between overconfidence and belief in extreme conspiracy theories.
The team also discovered that while only 12 per cent of participants believed in conspiracy theories, those who did believe them thought that nine in 10 people shared their views.
The 'false consensus' effect was strongest among the most overconfident individuals who not only believed incorrect things but also wrongly assumed that most others shared their views.
Dr Pennycook explained: 'The tendency to be overconfident in general may increase the chances that someone falls down the rabbit hole, so to speak, and believe conspiracies.
'In fact, our results counteract a prevailing narrative about conspiracy theorists: that they know that they hold fringe beliefs and revel in that fact.'
He added that particularly overconfident conspiracy believers 'really seem to be miscalibrated in a major way'.
'Not only are their beliefs on the fringe, but they are very much unaware of how far on the fringe they are,' he added.
The lack of Rapture will likely come as a shock to some believers, who went so far as to get rid of their personal possessions in preparation.
One Australian man, Tilahun Desalegn, shared a clip of his car being towed away, saying: 'I won't need her beyond September, because I'm going home to where my father in heaven is.'
'Car is gone just like the Brides of Christ will be in September,' Desalegn wrote on the video.
WHAT MAKES SOMEONE BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES?
Over the course of three online-based studies, researchers at the University of Kent showed strong links between the belief in conspiracy theories and certain psychological traits.
Narcissism and self-esteem levels have a large impact on a persons belief in conspiracy theories.
The results showed that people who rated highly on the narcissism scale and who had low self-esteem were more likely to be conspiracy believers.
However, while low self-esteem, narcissism and belief in conspiracies are strongly linked, it is not clear that one - or a combination - causes the other.
But it hints at an interesting new angle to the world of conspiracy and those who reinforce belief.
There are widely believed to be three main reasons as to why people believe in conspiracy theories.
- The desire for understanding and certainty - Seeking explanations for events is a natural human desire.
- The desire for control and security - Conspiracy theories can give their believers a sense of control and security.
- The desire to maintain a positive self-image - People who feel socially marginalised are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories and it gives them a sense of worth in the UFO community.
These three things tie in with the previously stated qualities and combine to create an avid conspiracy theorist.
