Positive interactions with people from different backgrounds can reduce belief in conspiracy theories, study finds
A new study has found that positive interactions with people from different backgrounds can reduce belief in conspiracy theories. The study, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, found that people who had positive experiences with people from diverse groups were less likely to believe in conspiracy theories about those groups.
The study’s authors, Dr. Daniel Jolley from the University of Nottingham and Dr. Karoline Seger from the University of East Anglia, conducted three studies to test their hypothesis. In the first study, they surveyed over 1,000 British people about their experiences of contact with immigrants and Jewish people, and their belief in conspiracy theories about those groups. They found that people who had more positive experiences of contact with these groups were less likely to believe in conspiracy theories about them.
In the second study, they conducted a laboratory experiment where they randomly assigned participants to either a positive or negative contact condition. In the positive contact condition, participants were asked to write about a time when they had a positive interaction with someone from a different group. In the negative contact condition, participants were asked to write about a time when they had a negative interaction with someone from a different group. After writing about their experiences, participants were asked to complete a measure of belief in conspiracy theories. The results showed that participants in the positive contact condition were less likely to believe in conspiracy theories than participants in the negative contact condition.
In the third study, they conducted a neuroimaging study where they scanned the brains of participants while they were reading about conspiracy theories. They found that participants who had more positive experiences of contact with people from diverse groups showed less activity in the amygdala, a brain region that is associated with fear and threat. This suggests that positive contact with people from diverse groups can help to reduce the fear and distrust that are often associated with conspiracy theories.
The authors of the study conclude that their findings suggest that “positive contact with diverse groups can be an effective way to reduce belief in conspiracy theories.” They also suggest that their findings “have implications for educational and policy interventions aimed at reducing the spread of conspiracy theories.”
The study’s findings are consistent with previous research that has shown that exposure to diversity can help people to see the world in a more complex way, which can make them less likely to believe in simple explanations like conspiracy theories. The study’s findings also suggest that positive contact with people from diverse groups can help to reduce the fear and distrust that are often associated with conspiracy theories.
In a world that is increasingly divided, the study’s findings offer some hope that positive contact with people from different backgrounds can help to reduce belief in conspiracy theories and build a more tolerant and understanding society.
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