The Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) cordially invites interested persons to its lecture series. On Wednesday, May 21, 2025 from 2 to 3 p.m. our guest is Dr. Daniel Toribio-Flórez, Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Psychology, University of Kent. He talks about "Consequences of conspiracy beliefs for interpersonal relationships".
The colloquium will be held in English at the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) at the Wissenschaftspark (Ground floor, room 02.14, Max-Planck-Straße 22, 54296 Trier) and also online. After registration at madr(at)leibniz-psychology.org we will send you the link to the online event, on-site participation is possible without registration.
Abstract:
Emerging theorising and growing anecdotal evidence suggest that belief in conspiracy theories may negatively impact interpersonal relationships. However, research on the consequences of conspiracy beliefs has not systematically assessed their effect on people’s relationships. In this presentation, I will share findings from three different research projects that quantitatively and qualitatively investigate the role of conspiracy beliefs in interpersonal relationships. The first project examines whether perceptions of others’ conspiracy beliefs are linked to actual (or anticipated) relationship satisfaction. The second project uses a qualitative approach to assess personal accounts of individuals who shared or are sharing romantic relationships with conspiracy believers. The third project shifts the focus to prospective relationships in the context of online dating, addressing how the inclusion of conspiracy theories in dating profiles influences people’s impressions and dating intentions. Taken together, our results suggest that conspiracy beliefs can erode interpersonal relationships where such beliefs are not shared, whereas relationships between individuals with shared conspiracy beliefs remain unaffected or may even be strengthened.