Not everything that sounds right is true. And far from everything that sounds fake is false. Reality is—quite often—stranger than fiction. Once you hear about something strange, you might feel compelled to dig deeper. You might be surprised by what you find.
The r/AskReddit online community shared some obscure facts that sound like they could easily be conspiracy theories. However, they’re all true. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t judge a book (just) by its cover. Scroll down for a taste of some odd and even uncomfortable facts about the world.
Susan A. Nolan, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Seton Hall University, was kind enough to walk Bored Panda through the differences between valid claims and conspiracy theories. She also explained why some people believe in the latter theories. Scroll down for her insights.
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"The difference between a valid, or even potentially valid, claim and a conspiracy theory comes down to the willingness to consider evidence," Professor Nolan, who co-runs the 'Misinformation Desk' blog on Psychology Today, explained to Bored Panda via email.
"A conspiracy theory is not backed by evidence, and those who believe it tend to discount any evidence that does not support it. If you’re willing to consider evidence and change your mind based on it when warranted, you’re unlikely to fall for a conspiracy theory," she said.
"On the other hand, there are some weird facts out there that do have evidence backing them. Research has found that swearing can reduce the experience of pain. Also, cats and dogs are left- or right-handed (or left- or right-pawed) just like humans."
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According to Nolan, people often want to believe in non-existent conspiracies because they give them some sense of control. Especially in scary or uncertain situations. We don't need to look deep into the past to see this at work, either. A glance at what happened in recent years is enough.
"For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially early on, conspiracy theories gave some people a sense that there were solid answers. The science was shifting a lot early on—because that is how science works—so conspiracy theories might have felt more certain to some people," the professor explained.
The psychology expert added that most likely everyone believes some things that aren't backed by evidence, "just because it gives us a sense of control. "
"It’s why we might respond to a scientific finding by saying, 'That’s not my experience' and discounting it. Ideally, we would be able to say, 'That’s not my experience,' while understanding that scientific findings are about groups of people. There will always be exceptions."
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It can be quite a challenge to determine what is and isn’t a conspiracy theory. During a previous interview with Bored Panda, Steven Wooding, a member of the Omni Calculator Project and a member of the Insitute of Physics in the UK, explained to us how someone might go about evaluating a theory or a claim. The first step is to use fact-checking services, like PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org.
"I think that while reading the news every day, we should never forget that the world is a complicated place. The events that occur are usually the result of multiple processes rather than a single cause," Wooding explained.
According to the scientist, reality is often quite complicated. Monocausal, or single cause, factors in political, social, or historical change are rare.
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"If a theory explaining an aspect of reality has monocausal tendencies (or even shamelessly presents itself as monocausal), it is highly likely to be wrong. We should develop a habit of thinking about this every time we hear a theory supposed to explain some 'hidden truth' to us. Then, if you think to yourself, 'Wow, that sounds pretty monocausal!'—it's a sign you should do your research,” Wooding said.
"The world is complicated: many processes are going on that we don't have time to follow, don't have the knowledge to explore, don't have an awareness of their existence. Conspiracy theories are usually simple: in their worldview, one cause determines everything (the world is ruled by lizard people, etc.)," the expert previously told Bored Panda that people often crave simplicity and clarity in a world that is chaotic and muddled.
"They present (at least at first) a clear and lucid vision of the world—often based on Manichean [good vs. evil] opposition. They give the false impression of thoroughly understanding and explaining the world in a simple way."
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He added: "Studies prove that people who believe in one conspiracy theory are much more likely to believe in another. In this sense, I think that every conspiracy theory is wrong. They differ only in scale, but they are all part of the same mechanism."
According to Lee McIntyre, a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University, when talking to someone who believes in a conspiracy theory (e.g. Flat Earth), you should ask them what evidence they think would be enough to prove them wrong.
“I used that question in person at FEIC [Flat Earth International Conference] 2018 and it was very telling. Most of them just said ‘proof’ and I said ‘proof of what?’ They couldn’t be specific. This shows that their beliefs weren’t really based on evidence in the first place,” the expert told Bored Panda during an interview, earlier.
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“At one session I heard many Flat Earthers talk about losing family members, getting kicked out of their churches, losing jobs… who would do that for fun? These are hardcore science deniers. As hard as it might be to accept, there are people who believe this stuff and are willing even to put their lives on the line for it! One rocket guy crashed trying to prove Flat Earth. They aren’t pretending,” McIntyre told Bored Panda.
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The expert shared that conspiracy theories tend to pop up in times of turmoil or mass unrest, as people are trying to make sense of the world. “Flat Earth is in some ways just a run-of-the-mill conspiracy theory. They’ve all grown in popularity because beliefs (even fringe beliefs) are reinforced by peer approval, and that is now readily available on the internet. Virtually all of the flat earthers I met were converted based on YouTube videos. Some then went to the conferences. After that, they were ‘down the rabbit hole.'”
Conspiracy theories can be considered to be “infectious”: they go viral, in order to attract new members.
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