Political conspiracy theories as tools for mobilization and signaling.

Curr Opin Psychol

Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address:

Published: December 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • Political conspiracist communities form around unprovable narratives about political opponents secretly plotting against the public, often emerging in times of political conflict.
  • These narratives serve not just to describe the situation but also to enhance group cohesion and drive collective action among supporters by amplifying feelings of social threat.
  • Endorsing these conspiracy theories sincerely may help individuals signal loyalty to their group, improving their status within the community.

Article Abstract

Political conspiracist communities emerge and bind around hard-to-falsify narratives about political opponents or elites convening to secretly exploit the public in contexts of perceived political conflict. While the narratives appear descriptive, we propose that their content as well as the cognitive systems regulating their endorsement and dissemination may have co-evolved, at least in part, to reach coalitional goals: To drive allies' attention to the social threat to increase their commitment and coordination for collective action, and to signal devotion to gain within-group status. Those evolutionary social functions may be best fulfilled if individuals endorse the conspiratorial narrative sincerely.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101440DOI Listing

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