Narcissists Seem Drawn to Conspiracy Theories, But Why?

People with an inflated sense of their own importance, a lack of empathy, and a need for attention are more likely to be drawn to conspiracy theories.

Feelings of paranoia, gullibility, and the need for dominance are some of the reasons given by a new study. They can make a difference in establishing the link between the two.

According to the researchers, each of these psychological processes is linked to something that makes up narcissism.

The components are agentic extraversion, antagonism, and neuroticism.

In their paper, the researchers argue that each component of narcissism might make people more likely to support conspiracy theories.

The way that narcissists think other people are trying to harm them is paranoia. Certain conspiracy theories are easier to understand.

There needs to be control and dominance. Conspiracy theories can be made appealing by the need to shift blame and use a different group as a scapegoat.

Conspiracy theories that promise access to privileged or hidden information not available to everyone make those who believe in them more special.

There's gullibility, warly, and the fact that people are less likely to engage in cognitive reflection.

The researchers talk about how they can use the insights. There's a chance that those in government are more susceptible to conspiracy theories than the general population.

There is strong evidence linking different components of narcissism to belief in conspiracy theories.

Narcissists tend to think they are qualified for politics.

The team behind the new study says that a better understanding of the need to invest in conspiracy theories is needed in order to break that link.

The need for a particular group of people to believe that they are special and unique is one of the psychological processes the researchers have analyzed.

Possibilities for future study include looking at how narcissists share and promote conspiracy theories on social media and how these findings might relate to other types of fake or deliberately sensational information outside of conspiracy theories.

The researchers say thatcissists' craving for validation and recognition is likely to have implications not only for their beliefs but also for their behaviors.

The research was published in a psychology journal.