"Conspiracy Theorists Are More Positive & ‘Sane’ Compared To Conventional Thinkers"

[Christopher O'Brien]

[Why do the results of this study not surprise me? —chris]

Article HERE:

A case study examining online commenting trends was performed by psychologists Michael J. Wood and Karen M. Douglas of the University of Kent that revealed so called “conspiracy theorists” are actually more mentally sane (reasonable & sensible) than those who are considered conventionalists.

Not that long ago, practically anyone who thought outside of the box, questioned the official stories, or did any type of investigation into certain subjects was labeled a “conspiracy theorist.” In fact, many of these people, including the majority of the writers here at Collective Evolution, are still considered conspiracy theorists by many even though the goal is simply to examine or verify the truth of something.

It is interesting how many of the people who are labeled as conspiracy theorists spend a lot of time with research and critical thinking. Sure there are always going to be more extreme people who lend a “bad name” to those who are legitimately assessing evidence, but it doesn’t mean the entire idea of conspiracy is invalid.

Many will check the facts, and look into the evidence on both sides of the coin. Generally the people who believe the mainstream idea of what is true, or is accepted as truth do not bother to look at the other side of the coin. They believe what they are told without question, and anyone who disagrees is, well, crazy, or a conspiracy theorist. Or in other words, paranoid.

The fascinating part is, it’s become some common place amongst society for people to not want to be labeled as a conspiracy theorist that anytime political leaders or the media wish to make something unquestionable, they will literally use the words “conspiracy theorists” in their speeches or reports when referring to anyone who wishes to question the story.

The Study
A study was published in July of 2013 by psychologists Michael J. Wood and Karen M. Douglas of the University of Kent in the United Kingdom, it was entitled “’What About Building 7?’ A Social Psychological Study Of Online Discussion Of 9/11 Conspiracy Theories.” The study compared “conspiracist,” (pro-conspiracy theory) and “conventionalist,” (anti-conspiracy theory) comments on various news websites.
The researchers were surprised that they found more “conspiracist” type comments than conventional ones. According to the researchers, “Of the 2174 comments collected, 1459 were coded as conspiracist and 715 as conventionalist.” REST OF ARTICLE HERE:

 

[Wade]

I thought that herb WISEMAN really earned his surname.

Anatomy of a Conspiracy Theory

1. Someone in power not content with the heights he (or she) has reached and needing more money, power or both, will try to manipulate events in their favor to have more, but can fall short in some small way to cover their tracks.

2. Someone knowing full well that the official line is always lacking (mischevious human nature trumps all) in some way will look into these matters and find some flaw in the narrative and make these known. Many times. but not always, not being content in pointing out that something is amiss with the official line, but at the same time sometimes falling short into having to come up with something more reasonable instead promotes an alternative theory that can strain credulity. Contrawise not being able to leave well enough alone and perhaps seeking some attention, money or both starts making claims that fail to pass muster.

In other words nothing out of the ordinary when you're talking about human nature and the trickster element. In another thread it has been pointed out that these things we call coincidences or even synchromistic events are merely the result of the law of numbers. IF that were true then i don't see any reason to discount a similar phenomenon here. Given the number of humans on this planet, many of whom are machinating...this appears to be a real word...events to their liking and toss in a little chaos theory to liven things up (failure to anticipate how people will react at times) I would ask why isn't there even more conspiracy theories?

A Conspiracy Theory is just a cover up that has yet to find a smoking gun or a deep throat. No mystery here.

 

[pixelsmith]

A case study examining online commenting trends was performed by psychologists Michael J. Wood and Karen M. Douglas of the University of Kent that revealed so called “conspiracy theorists” are actually more mentally sane (reasonable & sensible) than those who are considered conventionalists.

I am thee most sane person here then.

 

[Burnt State]

Of course in this study they also identified that the conspiracist was also most likely to express more positive comments and fewer negative comments than the conventionalist thinkers.

This however, is not always the case.

 

[Burnt State]

 

[pixelsmith]

Of course in this study they also identified that the conspiracist was also most likely to express more positive comments and fewer negative comments than the conventionalist thinkers.

This however, is not always the case.

I try, but some people think they know more than I do on some subjects. This however is not always the case.

 

[Double Nought Spy]

Retro-Forteana: Conspiracy History

I like this guy, been following his blog for a few years now. I'm sure he has actually been employed as a rocket scientist, but I don't see it anywhere on his profile now.

 

[Wade]

Retro-Forteana: Conspiracy History

I like this guy, been following his blog for a few years now. I'm sure he has actually been employed as a rocket scientist, but I don't see it anywhere on his profile now.

smells & sounds like a cover up to me.