Why Narcissists Love Conspiracy Theories

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The widespread dissemination and appeal of conspiracy theories is not a new phenomenon, but events in recent years have highlighted how important it is to understand and combat them. Anyone could fall prey to the seductive lure of a conspiracy theory, but some people might be more prone to this danger than others.

Likewise, although conspiracy theories are notoriously difficult to counter and protect against, different approaches might work best for different people. Despite the dramatic increase in research on these topics of late, much more work is necessary to address these concerns.

A recent investigation published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology helps fill in some of the blanks (Cosgrove & Murphy, 2023). It lends support to the idea that people with higher degrees of narcissistic traits are more likely to fall prey to conspiracy theories. It also investigates what can be done to help protect narcissists from this risk and what might just make things worse.

The results are based on the statistical analysis of original survey data. The survey included questions allowing the researchers to examine the relationship between narcissistic traits, general conspiracy beliefs, level of education achieved, and whether education was in a STEM field (i.e. science, technology, engineering, or math). Some of the findings were surprising, to say the least.

Narcissists Are Vulnerable to Conspiracy Claims

Narcissism is associated with a number of specific traits. These vary from person to person but can include such characteristics as a heightened sense of self-importance, feelings of entitlement, low self-esteem, heightened suspiciousness, insecure need for frequent affirmation, and an acute desire to feel special. The same traits can also manifest at the group level in the form of "collective narcissism" (de Zavala et al., 2009). Here, people believe that some group they identify with or belong to is especially important, special, and in need of constant validation.

Whether expressed individually or collectively, narcissistic traits predispose people toward being especially receptive to conspiracy theories. For example, a heightened sense of distrust and lack of humility could make conspiracy clams seem more plausible and make questioning them less likely, especially once they are embraced. Other characteristics, such as the need to feel unique or better than others, can have similar results. Endorsing conspiracy theories can help narcissists feel like they have access to secret information, that they are morally or intellectually superior to others, or simply that they believe in something that helps them stand out as different from the crowd.

It’s also easy to see how collective narcissism could promote conspiratorial thinking in addition to individual-level narcissism. Here, similar factors are conducive to being receptive to conspiracy claims, but they operate at the group level instead of a strictly individual one. In this case, someone believes that their group is special, superior to other groups, and deserving of particular privilege or recognition. If they perceive that their group is not experiencing the preferential status it deserves, it is easier to blame a conspiracy than to question their belief in its superiority.

This particular study confirmed the general tendency for narcissistic traits to contribute to conspiracy beliefs. Respondents who reported higher levels of almost every narcissistic trait measured reported significantly higher levels of belief. The traits included the need to feel unique, a sense of grandiosity, vulnerable narcissism, and collective narcissism. Interestingly enough, the only trait that did not significantly increase belief was a need to feel superior to others.

Education as a Possible Solution

Is there anything that could protect narcissists from their susceptibility to conspiracy claims? Previous research has identified links between education and belief in conspiracy theories (e.g. Douglas et al., 2016).

In general, people with more formal education tend to be less likely to believe in them, although more work is needed to explore the association. This could be because education provides so many skills and abilities that run counter to the nature of conspiracy claims, such as critical thinking, cognitive reflection, appraising competing arguments, and more. STEM fields in particular have been identified as useful in this regard, possibly because of their emphasis on empiricism and the critical evaluation of evidence (e.g. Pavić & Šuljok 2022). Consequently, education would provide a form of protection against the seductive lure of conspiratorial thinking.

Education is valuable for everyone, but it would be especially useful to help people like narcissists, who are particularly at risk. In fact, there are additional reasons why education could help in their case. It’s possible that it could provide many of the things that draw some narcissists to conspiracy theories in the first place, such as the desire to feel special or superior to others. If this is the case, then the more educated would have little incentive to pursue these needs through adopting conspiracy theories.

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Consistent with these expectations and previous research, this study found that education was indeed protective against conspiracy theories. Overall, people with higher levels of education in the sample reported lower levels of belief in them, on average. People whose education was in a STEM field reported less belief as well. This alone, however, does not tell us whether the effect is the same specifically for narcissists, since the correlations are based on the sample as a whole.

To look at the effects of education for narcissists in particular, the authors calculated interaction terms between the education variables and the indicators of narcissistic traits. This essentially allowed them to determine the effects of education for narcissists specifically—and the results were unexpected. Whereas education in general and STEM training in particular helped reduce conspiracy beliefs for the sample as a whole, they found no such effect for people with higher degrees of narcissism. For them, education typically had no effect on their tendency to believe. There were only two exceptions. For people with a greater need for uniqueness or greater sense of grandiosity, more education actually increased their willingness to believe conspiracy theories.

The findings come as something of a surprise. If education generally helps people see through the fallacious nature of conspiracy theories, why would it have the opposite or no effect for narcissists? The authors suggest it could be due to the nature of narcissism itself and offer some possibilities worth considering. For example, it could be that education simply increases some narcissists’ self-confidence, making them more gullible and less likely to rationally examine and question their views. Or if conspiracy beliefs fulfill their intense need to feel unique and superior, they could have greater incentive to cling to such beliefs than others. They would then be motivated to employ their education to selectively defend these beliefs—and therefore their self-concept—rather than challenge them.

The findings are both unexpected and important. They shed light on the complicated nature of conspiracy theories and how they might interact with different personality traits. This, in turn, could help efforts aiming to combat the spread of fallacious ideas and reduce the damage they can cause.

This research suggests that education can actually be harmful in some specific cases. However, this is certainly not an argument against education. To the contrary, in most cases, education is incredibly helpful in improving critical thinking and combating false beliefs. It simply means that, for narcissists, at least, something else might be needed.