Dr Daniel Jolley

Are people who believe in #conspiracy theories mentally ill?

#conspiracytheories #psychology #pathology #mentalillness

Screenshot of the abstract for the article "If only I had not fallen down the rabbit hole: Counterfactual thinking reduces engagement with conspiracy theories" in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

New paper out in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social !

We (@kwinter.bsky.social, @kaiepstude.bsky.social , Bob Fennis and I) found that encouraging counterfactual thinking reduces engagement with conspiracy theories (i.e., clicks on, and reading times for, conspiracy articles).

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Call for papers for International Conference organised by TaCT-FoRSED! - TaCT-FoRSED * CALL FOR PAPERS * Deadline: December 5th, 2025 *

📢 Final call for papers! Engaging with Conspiracy Theories, Fostering Democracy — Prague, 9–10 Apr 2026.

Submit by THIS FRIDAY 5 Dec 2025!

Topics: #ConspiracyTheories, #Disinformation, #Democracy and more!

👉👉 tact-forsed.eu/2025/10/07/c.... #AcademicConference

The Impact of Freedom of Speech on Conspiracy Beliefs Conspiracy beliefs are often portrayed as a threat to democracies. However, less is known about the extent to which the state of democracy may affect conspiracy beliefs. Hence, we investigated the im...

🚨 New paper out in the European Journal of Social Psychology!

Across one study using aggregated nation-level data and four preregistered experiments, we examined how freedom of speech within a society influences belief in conspiracy theories.

Missed Series 2 of Notts Psych Pod? 🎧

Catch up now, wherever you get your podcasts:
👉 creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

Each series explores how psychology connects with real-world issues — from neurodiversity to community engagement — putting people at the centre of research.

“Knowing what I don’t know” – belief in conspiracy theories relates to lower metacognitive sensitivity: a signal detection theoretic approach Beliefs in conspiracy theories are seemingly hard to dispute through facts. Researchers have partly attributed this resistance to certain information processing styles that are associated with cons...

Why are some people more prone to believe in conspiracy theories? Part of the answer may lie in metacognition, i.e., the ability to correctly estimate one's own knowledge about topics.
-> New paper with @kwinter.bsky.social, @kaisassenberg.bsky.social & Helen Fischer
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/2044...

Our registered report on the impact of using norms as a lever against vaccination misinformation @collabrapsychology.bsky.social online.ucpress.edu/collabra/art...

Notts Psych has its very own podcast - Notts Psych Pod.

We highlight our research that aims to make a difference in people’s lives and in society.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/... / www.nottingham.ac.uk/psychology/o... #NottsPsychPod

Just asking questions – How conspiracy theories took hold in Britain <p>Conspiracy theories used to be confined to fringe internet discussions and the guy you’d avoid in the pub. Now, thanks to figures like Donald Trump, ...

fantastic pod with @drdanieljolley.bsky.social about the psychology behind conspiracy theories. impressive coverage of a lot of topics including what, who, and the why of conspiracy theories as well as some tips on how to engage with ppl who believe them.

Landing page for our article "Fighting fire with fire: Prebunking with the use of a plausible meta-conspiracy framing" published in the British Journal of Psychology

🚨New open access paper out in BJP special issue "Psychological Understanding of Misinformation and Disinformation in the Face of Environmental Crises"!

“Fighting fire with fire: Prebunking with the use of a plausible meta-conspiracy framing” 🧵👇 1/12
📖 doi.org/10.1111/bjop...

Experts reveal how to change a conspiracy theorist’s mind Did Dezi Freeman really kill two police officers or was he framed by the Government? This is one question being posed on a Facebook group for last weekend’s March for Australia anti-immigration rallie...

"The danger isn’t just the extreme cases — it’s the slow erosion of social trust"

some informed opinions on this featuring experts in the space including @ulliecker.bsky.social @drdanieljolley.bsky.social

From pub chatter to prime time: conspiracy theories are everywhere. But where’s the line between healthy scepticism and believing the Royals are lizards?

Today, @alexvont.bsky.social & @drdanieljolley.bsky.social dig into why Britain fell for conspiracy thinking.

🎧 linktr.ee/bunker_pod

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This Age Group Is Most Likely To Fall For Conspiracy Theories (It's Not Who You Think) The researchers of a new study were 'quite surprised' that it was this group most likely to fall prey to conspiracy beliefs such as QAnon and the flat Earth theory.

If you assumed the answer might be Boomers, you’re not alone. The researchers behind the study said they figured that would be the case, too.

"[Our findings go] against the typical stereotype of the older uncle at the Christmas table exposing the latest conspiracy theories,” the co-author told me.

I'm looking forward to giving a Keynote on our work studying the psychology of conspiracy theories at this event 👇

mmmworkshop.cs.ru.nl

The Interplay Between Economic Hardship, Anomie, and Conspiracy Beliefs in Shaping Anti‐Immigrant Sentiment As hostility toward immigrants grows, it is essential to explore the psychological factors that contribute to anti-immigrant attitudes. Although the impact of economic hardship, societal anomie, and ...

💰 Economic hardship, anomie, and anti-immigrant attitudes

Six studies found that economic hardship can fuel anti-immigrant sentiment, partly via societal decline perceptions and conspiracy beliefs.

🔗 doi.org/10.1111/jasp...

#SciComm 🧪 #Psychology

Worsening economic conditions fuel anti-immigrant conspiracy beliefs and support for violence Belief in anti-immigrant conspiracies may be fueled by financial hardship and a sense of societal breakdown, according to new research. Across six studies, economic stress predicted support for discriminatory policies and even violent actions against non-European immigrants.

Worsening economic conditions fuel anti-immigrant conspiracy beliefs and support for violence

🎉 That’s a wrap on Series 2 of Notts Psych Pod!

Catch up wherever you get your podcasts: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/... #NottsPsychPod

Huge thanks to our brilliant editor @graceebaranowski, host Dr Daniel Jolley, & producer @neuro_rachel.

And a big shout-out to our amazing guests!

A powerful clip from today's episode 👇

Listen to #NottsPsychPod wherever you listen to your podcasts: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

A write-up on my recent work collaborating with a policy partner and launching #NottsPsychPod, showcasing how psychology research can inform policy and engage the public.

Love these projects!

www.nottingham.ac.uk/vision/visio...

How many psychology staff can you fit into a selfie? We gave it our best go 💙💚

Cognitive warfare: why wars without bombs or bullets are a legal blind spot When a foreign power floods your media with false health alerts designed to create panic, isn’t that as threatening as a military blockade?

When a foreign power floods your media with false health alerts designed to create panic, isn’t that as threatening as a military blockade?

Conspiracy Theories About the Texas Floods Lead to Death Threats Disinformation around a “weather weapon” and cloud seeding is being widely promoted by everyone from anti-government extremists to GOP influencers—and leading to real-world consequences.

Extremists, right-wing influencers and GOP lawmakers spent the days after the tragic Texas floods pushing conspiracies about "weather weapons."

On Sunday, a weather radar system was vandalized and one extremist group is taking credit

with @mollytaft.com

www.wired.com/story/texas-...

We’re back!

Notts Psych Pod is back for Series 2, where we explore what it means to work with communities.
Episodes will be available on Mondays, starting July 7, 2025.

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New paper out:

Across 6 studies with diverse methods (correlation, quasi-experimental and experimental), we find that economic hardship and anomie may fuel anti-immigrant sentiment, and conspiracy beliefs may be a key piece of the puzzle.

Full paper here onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Our sister died because of our mum's cancer conspiracy theories, say brothers Paloma Shemirani’s brothers say she refused chemotherapy because of their mother’s beliefs.

A former Cambridge graduate student died of cancer because her mother peddled conspiracy theories and misinformation that led her to refuse life-saving medical treatment.

Misinformation can kill you, especially if it comes from the people you're supposed to trust.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Series 2 teaser for #NottsPsychPod is coming soon!

#PreTeaser

@notts-psych.bsky.social @uniofnottingham.bsky.social
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

Israel-Iran conflict unleashes wave of AI disinformation Fake AI videos relating to the conflict have gained over 100 million views online, BBC Verify finds.

The Iran-Israel conflict marks the first time in a war where AI-generated videos and images have been widely shared by supporters of both sides as an effective tool to fight the information war.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories Why do conspiracy theories appeal to so many people? Learn about the deep psychological needs they often fulfill and why understanding them matters.

Why do conspiracy theories appeal to so many people? Learn about the deep psychological needs they often fulfill and why understanding them matters, writes Matthew Facciani for Psychology Today. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/misg...

New paper out:

Across 6 studies with diverse methods (correlation, quasi-experimental and experimental), we find that economic hardship and anomie may fuel anti-immigrant sentiment, and conspiracy beliefs may be a key piece of the puzzle.

Full paper here onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...