From bleach drinkers to Flat Earthers, we\u2019ve all heard of those who have fallen down the conspiracy rabbit hole. <\/p>
Not even jet fuel can melt steel minds, it seems: while previous studies have suggested methods for reducing conspiracy beliefs, a new review shows that most of these are ineffective<\/a>.<\/p>\n Behavioural researchers at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland, reviewed 25 previously published studies that tested methods for reducing conspiracy beliefs in over 7,000 participants.<\/p>\n They found that only half of the methods produced any change in beliefs at all, with a small minority seeing significant behavioural change.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most important findings of our review is that traditional fact-checking and counterarguments are the least effective means of combating conspiracy beliefs,\u201d said one of the review\u2019s authors, PhD candidate Cian O\u2019Mahony<\/a>.<\/p>\n They also found that methods which appealed to a conspiracy theorist\u2019s empathy had little effect in changing their beliefs.<\/p>\n So, what actually reduces belief in conspiracy theories throughout society? According to the review, only preventative methods may have a significant impact.<\/p>\n This means that the most effective method is to present critical thinking strategies to a person before<\/em> they are exposed to misinformation. Attempting to prove a conspiracy theory false to somebody after<\/em> they are exposed to misinformation may only serve to strengthen their resolve \u2013 participants were likely to perceive such intervention attempts as cover-ups of the truth.<\/p>\n In addition to preventative measures, a three-month course advising participants on the differences between scientific and pseudoscientific logic was also shown to be fairly effective.<\/p>\n The review identifies the difficulty in implementing these interventions in real-world settings, however. Its authors are therefore developing a video game<\/a> that trains players in critical thinking skills that may reduce susceptibility to conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n From bleach drinkers to Flat Earthers, we\u2019ve all heard of those who have fallen down the conspiracy rabbit hole. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":26291,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/theres-only-one-real-way-to-combat-conspiracy-theories-says-major-new-review.jpg",1200,510,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/theres-only-one-real-way-to-combat-conspiracy-theories-says-major-new-review-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/theres-only-one-real-way-to-combat-conspiracy-theories-says-major-new-review-300x128.jpg",300,128,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/theres-only-one-real-way-to-combat-conspiracy-theories-says-major-new-review-768x326.jpg",768,326,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/theres-only-one-real-way-to-combat-conspiracy-theories-says-major-new-review-1024x435.jpg",800,340,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/theres-only-one-real-way-to-combat-conspiracy-theories-says-major-new-review.jpg",1200,510,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/04\/theres-only-one-real-way-to-combat-conspiracy-theories-says-major-new-review.jpg",1200,510,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"From bleach drinkers to Flat Earthers, we\u2019ve all heard of those who have fallen down the conspiracy rabbit hole.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/26290"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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