Linda has kept in contact with several friends from her rural childhood in the 1970s, through all the usual things that change in groups of friends as they grow up. She’s remained friends through partners coming and going, international moves and career changes. Lately though, some of her warm old friendships have changed. She says of her childhood friends has started sharing ‘constant memes’ promoting conspiracy theories around QAnon and COVID.
Linda is perplexed by the change in her friend, telling me, ‘we’re from the same country town and have known each other our whole lives. How could she have such vastly different and out-there views?’ She does not share her friends’ belief in virus conspiracy theories, and she sees some of them as having the potential to be harmful.
Linda counts herself lucky. She can maintain some distance from her friend and not engage with conspiracy talk, but she worries for those who are in close quarters with such different views, particularly when believing conspiracy theories around health can lead to harmful behaviours. She asks how others in closer quarters can manage when conspiracy theories intrude on relationships.
Who believes conspiracy theories?
It is not surprising that COVID-19 has become the focus of numerous conspiracy theories. They become more common during times of crisis. They’ve always been common, and about half of us believe at least one conspiracy theory — after all, conspiracy theories are defined as explanations for important events that involve secret plots. Sometimes there really is a conspiracy. Whilst the stereotype is of tin foil hat-wearing eccentrics, in many ways, people who believe conspiracy theories are just like anyone else. At the same time, just because some conspiracies exist, not every conspiracy theory is correct. Many are not.
People who believe in conspiracy theories have quite understandable reasons for being drawn to them. Professor Karen Douglas and her colleagues summarized some of the research about what drives belief in conspiracy theories in 2017. The drivers of conspiracy belief are needs that much of humanity share: Wanting to understand one’s environment, wanting to be safe, and wanting to have a positive sense of oneself and the groups to which we belong. People who believe conspiracy theories also tend to have less trust for experts and people in authority.
It’s easy to understand why someone who needs certainty and doesn’t have much faith in ‘experts’ might be drawn to an explanation even if it may not be correct. If the virus were made by another country, then we can feel safer as part of our own nations. Not knowing quite why COVID-19 has appeared can feel deeply uncomfortable: If the virus were made in a lab, by humans, then not only does it mean the virus is understood, it didn’t ‘just happen’ in an unpredictable and scary way.
When it comes to misinformation, prevention is better than cure.
The first step to correct misinformation is prevention. Psychologist and researcher John Cook suggests the idea that we can ‘inoculate’ people to misinformation, by exposing people to misinformation and teaching them how to counter it. There are two key steps: First, warning about the danger of misinformation, and second, highlighting the flaws in misinformation. The idea is that by teaching people how to identify misinformation, they will be less vulnerable to it.
Professors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West at the University of Washington have created a course to teach the skills that help us to critically evaluate misinformation, quite appropriately naming it ‘Calling Bullshit.’ They have released the syllabus free online to allow anyone to learn the skills.
What if it’s too late for prevention?
When someone has already embraced misinformation or conspiracy theories, it’s a little late to focus on prevention.
It can be difficult to challenge existing and strongly held conspiracy beliefs effectively, and there has not been much research about how to best go about it. We do however know that it’s not just a simple matter of correcting misinformation with facts.
Some of the less productive ways people communicate when confronted with people who disagree with them such as scorn, laughter, name-calling might help people feel superior, but they are not effective ways of helping people to challenge misinformation.
Cook and Professor Stephan Lewandowsky have developed a brief ‘Debunking Handbook’, aimed at teaching people how to communicate and debunk misinformation, based on the research about how to correct misinformation and avoiding attacking or insulting people, which is not effective and sometimes can lead to people becoming more polarized.
Critical suggestions include:
1. Don’t focus too much on the myth that you’re correcting — focus on the factual information that you want to communicate. Give clear warnings if mentioning misinformation.
2. Present information in a way that doesn’t challenge people’s core beliefs — help people affirm their sense of self and worth, and frame information in a way that doesn’t threaten people’s sense of identity
3. Keep it simple — don’t provide too much complex information when correcting misinformation but provide alternative explanations for the misinformation. Use pictures if you can.
What if nothing changes?
Even if someone has attempted to correct misinformation in the most kind, appropriate and effective of ways, there is still a good chance that someone who has already formed a strong opinion about a conspiracy theory will not change their view.
When this occurs, the only option left is accepting that people have their own internal experiences and beliefs — even if their opinions are factually incorrect, and even if you belief their views lead to harmful behaviours. It is not the same thing as approving of their views or excusing the harm they may lead to. It’s about acknowledging reality and considering it when making choices. It is more productive to recognise when someone is not likely to change their point of view than continue arguing.
Skills in being effective in managing relationships are important when navigating difficult conversations with people who have embraced conspiracy theory. Thankfully, there are skills from therapies that provide guidance, such as interpersonal effectiveness skills taught in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.
Consider your goal and the priority in your communication. If you can’t change their mind, what then? Are there behaviours you would like them to change? Do you want to agree to disagree? Or is the intensity and potential harm arising from their beliefs such that there is no option but to act to maintain your self-respect? Not all conspiracy theories are the same, and their potential effects can be different. Different ways of managing relationships with people who believe conspiracies are needed.
There are three key potential and sometimes overlapping goals to consider:
1. Preserve the relationship. This starts with being gentle, interested and validating. Sometimes, by just stepping back, staying calm and being gentle, the energy with which someone asserts their beliefs will decrease because this approach does not provide resistance for someone to argue against. You don’t need to agree with someone’s beliefs to do this. Focus on acknowledging feelings and shared values.
2. Change a behaviour. Even if someone will not change a belief, you can still ask for changed behaviour. Someone doesn’t need to believe, for example, that COVID-19 is a threat in order to respect your request for them not to visit you. Stay mindful, and don’t get distracted by arguments about belief. Focus on the behaviour you want to change, and be willing to negotiate within reason.
3. Maintain your self-respect. There can be times where someone’s behaviour, driven by their beliefs, are not to be tolerated because of their effects on others. When that occurs, the goal may be to stick to your values and not compromise your integrity. Be fair to yourself and the other person, don’t apologize unnecessarily or compromise your values, and be truthful without exaggerating. You have the right to set boundaries in relationships.
When you seek to understand the perspective of the other person and correct misinformation appropriately, people still may not change their views. Acknowledging this reality and drawing on what we know about interpersonal effectiveness provides the best chance of navigating relationships when conspiracy theories intrude.
Ceara Rickard, Psychologist 