📢Calling #politicaltheory, #anthropology, #folkloristics, #sociology, #education, #securitystudies, #culturalstudies, #mediastudies, #socialpsychology researchers! The #callforpapers for our conference engaging with #conspiracytheories and fostering #democracy is still open 📌

🚨 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.

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

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.

🚨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...

"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

🎙️ Love Notts Psych Pod? Let’s make it official! You can vote for us in the Listeners’ Choice at the #BritishPodcastAwards – and it only takes a minute! Here’s how: 👉 Visit britishpodcastawards.com/vote 👉 Search Notts Psych Pod 👉 Hit VOTE and confirm via email Deadline: 8th Sept 2025

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

💰 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

🎉 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 💙💚

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

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

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/...

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/...

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 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/...

New paper in PSPB! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... Well, actually, not "new". We first put this paper online way back Dec 2022... in any case, we think it's really cool! We find that conspiracy believers tend to be overconfident & really don't seem to realize that most disagree with them

great to see the work by @omidghasemi.bsky.social in the @aunz.theconversation.com read about our research here: theconversation.com/climate-scie...

Psychology tells us: exposure changes minds. When people personally know LGBTQ+ individuals, conspiracy beliefs decline. 💭🏳️‍🌈 Let's break barriers together. Read more: buff.ly/2vq9GNP 
#LGBTQ #CognitiveBias #Misinformation #QueerVoices

A meta-analysis of 279 studies found people are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories when they feel uncertain, powerless, or socially excluded. My latest post explores the psychology, and social dynamics, behind conspiracy beliefs. matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/why-people...

🎙️ We’re back! Recording for Notts Psych Pod – Series 2 is underway 👀 Missed Series 1 on @notts-psych.bsky.social neurodiversity research? Catch up here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/... #NottsPsychPod

🧠🗯️ Why do people fall for BS? A new meta-analysis finds that belief in motivational quotes, conspiracy theories, and intuition is linked to higher bullshit receptivity – while stronger reasoning skills help guard against it. 🔗 doi.org/10.1002/acp.... #SciComm #Psychology 🧪

With a great team, we show—using data from 21 countries—that economic prosperity attenuates the positive relationship between anti-migration conspiracy beliefs and commitment to reactionary action. Open access in Communications Psychology doi.org/10.1038/s442... #migration #SocialPsyc #conspiracy

The School is delighted to announce the promotion of Dr Sheppard, Dr Jolley, Dr Doherty, and Dr Wijeakumar to Associate Professor (with effect from August). Well done and very well deserved! 👏💐

“From Conspiracies to Insurgence: Understanding the Path from Conspiracy Beliefs to Political Engagement through the 3N Model of Radicalization” in Current Psychology link.springer.com/article/10.1...

How can psychology make the world a better place? @drdanieljolley.bsky.social on the impact of his research exploring why conspiracy theories are so captivating, their social consequences, and strategies to mitigate their negative impact. #PsychologyMatters: www.bps.org.uk/blog/psychol...

What fuels support for the Last Generation & other non-normative collective action? New paper w @lpummerer.bsky.social Lara Ditrich & @kwinter.bsky.social suggests beliefs in a climate-related conspiracy between politicians and industry onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Nominations for the 2025 career awards are now open! 😁 This year you can nominate a social psychologist for the EARLY- and MID-Career awards For more information, open the awards tab on our website through the link below 👇 www.bps.org.uk/member-netwo...

New paper alert: In two studies, we found that poor sleep over the past month was linked with a stronger belief in conspiracy theories, especially after exposure to conspiratorial content. Published in the Journal of Health Psychology. Read: doi.org/10.1177/1359...

Poor sleep quality may increase susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs, with depression playing a key role. Addressing sleep issues could help mitigate these beliefs and improve critical thinking. doi.org/g875sz

New theory paper-led by @lpummerer.bsky.social with Karen Douglas, @drdanieljolley.bsky.social & @tgkinopoulos.bsky.social The Appraisal Model of Conspiracy Theories (AMCT): Applying appraisal theories to understand emotional and behavioral reactions to CTs www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🚨 New Issue Alert! Dive into the emotional whirlwind of #conspiracy #theories with our latest PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY issue on The Appraisal Model of Conspiracy Theories. Unpack how #emotions drive reactions to conspiracies. A must-read for anyone intrigued by the #psychology of #belief.

By prioritising good sleep we may be able to boost our ability to think critically and resist misinformation.

We know that economic anxiety & conspiracy beliefs are related. Often this is used to argue that it is key to fix economic conditions to avoid widespread conspiracy beliefs. But a new study shows that causality runs the other way. The conspiracy beliefs drive the anxiety: doi.org/10.1111/pops...

Yeah okay. Sure thing, buddy. That's just what Big Mattress *wants* you to think... www.popsci.com/health/poor-...

New paper alert: In two studies, we found that poor sleep over the past month was linked with a stronger belief in conspiracy theories, especially after exposure to conspiratorial content. Published in the Journal of Health Psychology. Read: doi.org/10.1177/1359...

|| New Publication (Nature Communications) Psychological Booster Shots Targeting Memory​ Increase Long-Term Resistance Against Misinformation doi.org/10.1038/s414... Press Release www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-03... Key Findings * Inoculation works * Effects dissipate * Booster shots remedy this (1/10)

Vaccine hesitancy may stem from fear, and new research indicates conspiracy theories could play a role in solidifying this reluctance. Fearful individuals might embrace conspiracies to rationalize their decision against vaccination.