Ever since the time of the ancient Greeks over 2,000 years ago, human beings have known the Earth is a globe.
Despite this, some people are still convinced that we live on a giant floating disc in space, known as ‘Flat Earth’.
Now, scientists have discovered why believers are still so sure of this fantastical theory.
According to researchers from the University of Kent, people who believe in conspiracies like the Flat Earth theory are more likely to be insecure.
The team analysed the results of 279 studies involving more than 137,000 people.
Their analysis revealed that people are more likely to endorse conspiracies if their psychological needs are unmet.
This includes feeling uninformed, insecure, and undervalued.
‘People may find conspiracy theories less appealing if they have alternative ways to meet their psychological needs or if their needs are not frustrated in the first place,’ said Dr Mikey Biddlestone, lead author of the study.
Ever since the time of the ancient Greeks over 2,000 years ago, human beings have known the Earth is a globe. Despite this, some people are still convinced that we live on a giant floating disc in space, known as ‘Flat Earth’
Conspiracy theories are alternative explanations for major events that reject the accepted narrative in favour of more fantastical plots.
For example, because Earth’s surface looks and feels flat, so-called ‘Flat Earthers’ denounce all evidence to the contrary.
Meanwhile, after NASA delayed its upcoming moon mission, moon landing deniers rushed to social media to claim that the space agency couldn’t return to the moon since it never went there in the first place.
In their new study, the researchers set out to examine why some people believe and endorse these conspiracies.
‘Belief in conspiracy theories has been linked to harmful consequences for individuals and societies,’ the team wrote in the study, published in Psychological Bulletin.
‘In an effort to understand and mitigate these effects, researchers have sought to explain the psychological appeal of conspiracy theories.’
In total, the team analysed 279 independent studies including 137,406 participants.
Their analysis revealed that when people spread conspiracy theories, it can be an attempt to compensate for feelings of uncertainty, insecurity, and to defend their own ‘threatened’ social image.
Their analysis revealed that when people spread conspiracy theories, it can be an attempt to compensate for feelings of uncertainty, insecurity, and to defend their own ‘threatened’ social image (stock image)
From exploring the relationships between conspiracy beliefs and psychological motives, the strongest connections between the two were found to be concerns over existential threats from the world around us, prompting feelings of societal and political alienation.
The researchers hope the findings will pave the way for tailored methods to counter conspiracies.
‘Conspiracy theories pose a threat to individuals, groups, and societies, and therefore it’s really important to understand why people believe and spread them,’ Dr Biddlestone added.
WHAT IS FLAT EARTH THEORY?
Those who believe the Flat Earth Theory claim our planet is shaped like a flat disc instead of a sphere.
Because Earth’s surface looks and feels flat when we walk around it, the conspiracy theorists denounce all evidence to the contrary.
The leading theory suggests Earth is a disc with the Arctic Circle in the centre and Antarctica, a 150-foot-tall (45-metre) wall of ice, around the rim.
Those who believed the Flat Earth Theory claim our planet is shaped like a flat disc instead of a sphere. Pictured is a model presented to attendees at the first annual Flat Earth International Conference, held in North Carolina in November 2017
Theorists claim that satellite images and evidence pointing to a spherical Earth are part of a ’round Earth conspiracy’ orchestrated by NASA and other government agencies.
Proponents of the bizarre theory also claim the Earth is stationary in space rather than orbiting the sun.
Some believe the Earth is covered by a glass dome which sits over the flat disc.
The international scientific community has consistently denounced the Flat Earth theory.
Decades of space imagery and peer-reviewed astronomical research back their claims.
NASA has proved that the Earth is round using satellites, GPS and images from space, but ‘Flat Earthers’ believe the space agency is lying.
