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Can Conspiracy Beliefs Be Beneficial? Longitudinal Linkages Between Conspiracy Beliefs, Anxiety, Uncertainty Aversion, and Existential Threat
Open accessAbstract
Research suggests that conspiracy beliefs are adopted because they promise to reduce anxiety, uncertainty, and threat. However, little research has investigated whether conspiracy beliefs actually fulfill these promises. We conducted two longitudinal studies ( N Study 1 = 405, N Study 2 = 1,012) to examine how conspiracy beliefs result from, and in turn influence, anxiety, uncertainty aversion, and existential threat. Random intercept cross-lagged panel analyses indicate that people who were, on average, more anxious, uncertainty averse, and existentially threatened held stronger conspiracy beliefs. Increases in conspiracy beliefs were either unrelated to changes in anxiety, uncertainty aversion, and existential threat (Study 2), or even predicted increases in these variables (Study 1). In both studies, increases in conspiracy beliefs predicted subsequent increases in conspiracy beliefs, suggesting a self-reinforcing circle. We conclude that conspiracy beliefs likely do not have beneficial consequences, but may even reinforce the negative experience of anxiety, uncertainty aversion, and existential threat.
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“Typically, people who turn to conspiracy beliefs in an attempt to alleviate the negative experience of uncertainty do not succeed in this attempt and may even experience short-term increases in uncertainty aversion, anxiety, and existential dread [163].”
From Impact of Media-Induced Uncertainty on Mental Health: Narrative-Based Perspective. (2025) · cites this paper as [163]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Liekefett, L., Christ, O., & Becker, J. C.
- Affiliations
- Osnabrück University (DE)
- FernUniversität in Hagen (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Liekefett, Luisa
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-12-29
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 167-179
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- PMC
- PMC9896259
- OpenAlex
- W4200624585
- Cited by
- 155
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 25
- FWCI
- 31.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- conspiracy beliefs, anxiety, uncertainty aversion, existential risk, belief persistence, threat mitigation, psychological well-being
- MeSH terms
- Affect, Anxiety, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, HIV Infections, Uncertainty
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