By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
THURSDAY, July 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) – The COVID-19 pandemic has turned life in the United States upside down in many ways. Now a new study confirms another effect: paranoia and belief in conspiracy theories, especially in areas with low mask compliance.
“Our psychology is massively influenced by the state of the world around us,” said study author Phil Corlett, associate professor of psychology at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
By the time the pandemic began, Corlett and colleagues were already researching the role of insecurity in developing paranoia (the delusion of being followed or feeling extremely anxious). The researchers used a simple card game in which rules could suddenly change, causing an increase in paranoia and erratic behavior in participants.
“We continued to collect data during the lockdown and reopening,” Corlett said in a university press release. “It was one of those rare, random incidents where we could investigate what happens when the world changes rapidly and unpredictably.”
Using online surveys and the same card games, researchers found increased levels of paranoia and erratic behavior in the general population of the United States during the pandemic.
Rates were higher in states that required masks than in states with looser restrictions. However, they were highest in areas where rule compliance was lowest and where some people felt most strongly that the rules should be followed.
“Basically, when there was a rule and people didn’t follow it, people got paranoid,” Corlett said.
The study also found that people with higher levels of paranoia were more likely to advocate conspiracies about wearing masks and vaccines, as well as the QAnon conspiracy theory that the government protects politicians and Hollywood entertainers who run pedophile rings nationwide.
The study was published on July 27 in the journal Nature Behavior.
Corlett noted that conspiracy theories thrived in troubled times in the past. One notable claim is that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were orchestrated by the US government. “Unfortunately, in times of trauma and big change, we tend to blame another group,” he said.
More information
Mental Health America has more about paranoia.
SOURCE: Yale University press release, July 27, 2021
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