We’re addicted to thrilling stories. It’s fueling a conspiracy problem. | Brian Klaas, PhD

About the sponsor: Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://ift.tt/cygs0de and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://ift.tt/DAMcigo About the video: “The problem with conspiracy theories is they're not just telling you a story, they're telling you a really good story. There's a hidden cabal behind everything that's happening, there's a secret pattern that you just have to be smart enough to detect.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Dating apps encourage our worst instincts. Here’s how to be more ethical ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXL2kjDoc04 The modern world is full of conspiratorial thinking: People see an event and come up with an extraordinary story, a “hidden truth” that explains everything. These extravagant stories are so sticky in our minds because we are predisposed to finding patterns and we're allergic to explanations that involve either randomness or banality, explains Brian Klaas, PhD, a professor and political scientist. This allergy to randomness is one of the reasons there is so much polarization and democratic breakdown around the world; because we simply inhabit different realities due to the fact that there has been such a surge in global conspiratorial thinking. So how can we fight these increasingly pervasive falsehoods? Our brains are driven to find explanations that fit a pattern and fit a narrative, a story that really compels us. When it comes to understanding conspiracy theories, there are 3 main cognitive biases that you need to grapple with. Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/mjpiUvA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more. https://ift.tt/TJ4IAqj ►Get Big Think+ for Business Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business. https://ift.tt/oTNekDq ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Brian Klaas: Dr. Brian Klaas is an Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London, an affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford, and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is also the author five books, including Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (2024) and Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us (2021). Klaas writes the popular The Garden of Forking Paths Substack and created the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, which has been downloaded roughly three million times.