DEBATE & DEBUNK? OR LET IT GO?

A look at why certain conspiracy theories take hold—and how to talk to someone caught in their grasp

- RON GERACI

THE BRITNEY SPEARS you see on Instagram was created by AI. Elvis is still alive at 90 (you can spot him in Home Alone!). The moon landing was faked. We’re living in a simulation. Airplane vapor trails contain chemicals that control our minds. The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce relationship is just a publicity stunt for the NFL.

When you read these statements, what was your first thought?

A. Only the tinfoil-hat crowd believes this stuff.

B. Some of them are ridiculous, but some could be partially true.

C. You’re a fool if you don’t believe.

If you’re like most Americans, you’ve probably landed in the “B” camp. That’s what research suggests, based partly on the American Conspiracy Thinking Scale (ACTS), one of the most prominent measures researchers use to determine an individual’s level of conspiratorial thinking. It lists claims like “Much of our lives are being controlled by plots hatched in secret places” and asks respondents to rate each on a scale of 1 to 5, from “disagree” to “strongly agree.” The average final score for Americans isa bit over 3, disproving the idea that there are just a few fringe believers amid the sensible rest of us, says Adam Enders, PhD, associate professor of political science at the University of Louisville and an expert on conspiracy theories. “The ACTS and other reliable measures find that most Americans have middling levels of conspiracy thinking,” he says. Meaning, while most of us don’t believe that Beyoncé is a member of the Illuminati, we might think that maybe there was a second shooter (or at least other conspirators) at JFK’s assassination.