Everything's Psychology

Author: Paul Davies

Chatting with incredible minds about the psychology of our everyday world. Join Paul Davies, behavioural psychologist, as chats with guests about the mechanisms of human behaviour and the motivations behind peoples actions.
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The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
Episode 24
Monday, 24 November, 2025

Was the moon landing mankind’s giant leap, or was it Hollywood's greatest special effect? Was the global vaccine rollout an elaborate scheme by Bill Gates to implant microchips in all of us? And do the condensation trails you see behind aeroplanes in the sky contain chemicals to keep the population docile?Let's be honest, a small part of us loves a good conspiracy theory. They’re exciting. They make the world feel a little less random. But why are these ideas so sticky? What makes us want to believe the unbelievable, and is there a fine line between enjoying a wild theory and falling down a rabbit hole of misinformation?With me to discuss the psychology of conspiracy theories is Professor Jan-Willem van Prooijen, who is Head of Social Psychology at Free University Amsterdam. The second edition of his book, The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories is out in December published by Routledge.LinksOrder The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories – https://www.routledge.com/The-Psychology-of-Conspiracy-Theories/vanProoijen/p/book/9781032868585Find out more about Professor Jan-Willem Van Prooijen – https://www.janwillemvanprooijen.com/Play the online fake news game – https://www.getbadnews.comSend us a textYou can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology