The way people process information can be a strong predictor of whether they may be drawn to conspiracy theories, according to new research.
Conspiracy theories often provide a clear, ordered version of events which make sense of a chaotic world, and this can make them particularly appealing to people who prefer structured, rule‑based explanations of what is happening, according to a team led by academics at Flinders University in Australia.
But conspiracy beliefs can be highly damaging. They can erode trust in institutions, influence vaccine uptake and hinder responses to genuine emergencies, as well as increase people's anxiety, strain relationships, spread misinformation and weaken people's critical thinking abilities.
But instead of pointing to poor reasoning as the key to recognising why people are drawn to conspiracies, the research team highlight the role of a thinking style they describe as "systemising".
They defined this as the "strong drive to identify patterns and make sense of events through consistent rules" which shape how people interpret complex information.
The study, led by Flinders University’s Dr Neophytos Georgiou, an expert in conspiracy belief research, examined more than 550 people to understand why some show an increased interest in conspiracy explanations.
“People often assume conspiracy beliefs form because someone isn’t thinking critically,” says Dr Georgiou
“But our findings show that for those who prefer systematic structure, conspiracy theories can feel like a highly organised way to understand confusing or unpredictable events.”
In the study, the researchers identified different thinking profiles and discovered that people who strongly liked patterns and structure were more likely to believe conspiracy theories, even when they demonstrated good scientific reasoning skills.
“What stood out is that people who systemise strongly want the world to make sense in a very consistent way,” said Dr Georgiou.
“Conspiracy theories often offer that sense of order. They tie loose ends together. Even when someone has strong reasoning ability, their desire for strict explanations can overshadow their ability to question those beliefs.”
The team also found that people who strongly identified with patterns and structure were more rigidly bound to the patterns and structures they had already associated with issues, meaning they were less flexible in updating their beliefs even in the light of new evidence.
“In tasks that required participants to revise their views when presented with new information, those with high systemising tendencies were less likely to shift their perspective. This may help explain why conspiracy beliefs can persist even when contradictory information is available,” said Dr Georgiou.
The research highlights "the cognitive style someone brings to information," Dr Georgiou said. "For people who naturally seek structure and predictability, conspiracy theories can be appealing because they feel ordered, logical and consistent for events that feel chaotic."
The team said their work "underscores the importance of recognising diverse thinking styles", and hope the findings can inform approaches to dealing with misinformation and conspiracy.
“Rather than relying only on fact‑checking or logic‑based interventions, strategies may need to reflect how people prefer to process information,” said Dr Georgiou.
“Conspiracy beliefs meet psychological needs, and if we ignore that, we overlook what actually makes these narratives persuasive.”
The research is published in the journal Cognitive Processing.
Browse a gallery of The Independent’s daily cartoon
In The Room | Should Starmer release the Mandelson-Epstein files?
‘Dread ekes out of the walls’: How it feels to work in No 10 during a crisis
NASA overhauls mission to put astronauts back on the moon
Mummified woman’s skull shows she survived pioneering jaw surgery 2,500 years ago
Raincoat no longer waterproof? A textile scientist explains how to fix it
