The text was published on my Telegram channel. The goal is to explain what conspiracy theories are, why people believe in them from a psychological perspective, and to show what contributes to the formation of various beliefs. I found a large amount of information and real stories related to this topic, but in the post, I included all the most interesting and attention-grabbing material, even for people unfamiliar with conspiracy theories.
Do you believe in a flat Earth and a secret government?
What is this?Conspiracy theory is a worldview that explains political, economic, social, and scientifically proven phenomena as the result of a plot by certain powerful secret forces or societies.Why do people believe it?An answer from psychologist Rob Brazerton. An excerpt from the book «Skeptical Minds: What Attracts Us to Conspiracy Theories?»As noted in the material, conspiratorial thinking is a self-perpetuating system. Belief in one conspiracy makes a person receptive to other—even mutually exclusive—theories. Quote from the book:«If you believe that special services personnel were involved in the assassination of Kennedy, then it is likely that they were also involved in something like the September 11th events.»Such beliefs are sustained by emotion, not by facts, creating an illusion of order and reducing anxiety, while also providing a false sense of «insider knowledge.» Furthermore, any disproof only strengthens this belief on the principle that «if they deny it—they must be hiding something.»It turns out that…The brain physically cannot remain in a state of fear of the unknown for long. To avoid succumbing to anxiety, it chooses the «lesser of two evils.»
Grounds for Mistrust
History is full of examples where governments have hidden the truth for years. Intelligence agencies have run secret operations. For instance, the real CIA project MKUltra, which conducted experiments on humans. Corporations colluded for profit. For example, in 1924, General Electric, Osram, and Philips formed a secret alliance called Phoebus, artificially reducing the lifespan of incandescent bulbs from 2,500 to 1,000 hours to increase repeat sales. Participants recorded prices and divided global markets, fining factories for producing durable products. The cartel dissolved in 1939 due to World War II, and the companies faced no penalties for deceiving consumers. Officials openly lied on television. For example, after the Chernobyl disaster, Soviet officials and anchors of the «Vremya» program on Central Television remained silent about the scale of the tragedy for several days on April 26. The first brief announcement only appeared on April 28, claiming that an «accident» had occurred at the plant, that the situation was under control, and that the radiation levels were normalized and posed no threat to people’s lives. When the truth emerges, people experience shock, and trust completely collapses. As a result, people think: «If they deceived me about this, they must be deceiving me about everything.» The existence of secret archives and closed bases only «fuels the fire.» People dislike secrets and strive to unravel them. But secrets of this magnitude cannot be revealed, so the human mind invents an explanation itself.
The Danger of Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theories are dangerous because they substitute fabricated narratives for real knowledge, erode trust in experts, and cause people to make perilous decisions. In medicine, the danger lies in refusing vaccination or foregoing necessary medications. People begin to believe in population microchipping, the deliberate engineering of the human body to provoke fatal diseases, and the shortening of life expectancies.
A real-life case: the matter of American pharmacist Steven Brandenburg, who, on the night of December 24–25, 2020, intentionally destroyed 57 vials of Moderna vaccine (approximately 500 doses) at a Wisconsin clinic by failing to keep them refrigerated. In court in 2021, he confessed that he genuinely believed vaccines were «biological weapons with microchips for population control» and that he was trying to «save» people. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
Denying the laws of nature leads people to believe in a flat Earth, the harm caused by 5G towers, and theories that climate change is a hoax and that ecological crises are manufactured for population control.
A real-life case: in 2019, the rollout of 5G towers in Switzerland sparked protests by activists from the Frequencia movement. In February 2020, the local agency (BAFU) requested that the regions take a technical pause. The Financial Times mistakenly labeled this pause as a «5G ban, ” creating a fake news story in global media. Authorities immediately refuted rumors of a national moratorium, but several regions temporarily halted construction under pressure from petitions. Ultimately, carriers, through lawsuits and expert analysis, proved that 5G radio waves are non-ionizing and physically incapable of destroying cells.
But what if it’s all true? Conspiracy theories thrive and captivate people not because they are unintelligent, but because the world is far more complex and ruthless than what is presented on nightly news. Every global conspiracy theory contains a kernel of truth that we all intuitively sense. Consider, for instance, the endless discussions about a secret world government and elites who determine human destinies behind closed doors. It’s clear that stories of cloaked elders orchestrating revolutions and wars with a snap of their fingers sound like fiction. But isn’t it true that ultra-wealthy individuals—owners of transnational corporations, bankers—exert more influence over our lives at private forums like Davos than politicians do? Isn’t it true that major corporations sponsor politicians? At the core of this lies a bitter reality: the world is governed by money and influence, and the average person is practically powerless.
