The rise of social media has unfortunately supported the spread of conspiracy theories, but research from the University of Nottingham argues that workplace cultures could also be playing a role. The study suggests that when people are bullied at work, they’re more likely to engage in conspiracy theorizing.

Feelings of paranoia

The researchers hypothesized that there may be a link between the two because both are associated with psychological factors, such as feelings of paranoia. The research builds on previous studies that highlight how our life experiences can influence the likelihood that we’ll believe in conspiracy theories.

“Bullying experiences can significantly impact the victim in numerous ways, with the development of conspiracy beliefs being another detrimental consequence,” the researchers explain. “We believe victims of bullying may find conspiracy theories appealing because bullying experiences frustrate the exact psychological factors, such as disempowerment, that are a route to developing conspiracy beliefs.”

The researchers conducted a couple of experiments to examine their hypothesis. In the first, they measured the range of negative acts participants were exposed to. This showed that there did indeed appear to be a link to conspiracy beliefs, with victims of workplace bullying also more likely to report feelings of paranoia.

The second study confirmed this by asking people to imagine feeling either bullied or supported at work. This process found that after imagining feeling bullied, people were more likely to believe in conspiracy theories.

“We saw during the COVID-19 pandemic how conspiracy theories could take hold and spiral, with many circulating and gaining traction, particularly around vaccinations. Our work shows how conspiracy beliefs can mobilize people in ways detrimental to a smooth-running society,” the authors conclude. “This is why understanding how conspiracy beliefs form is essential. If we can get to the root of what factors influence them, we can develop ways to tackle this. We recommend that the next steps are to develop tools to support victims to try and avert the link between being bullied and conspiracy theorizing emerging.”