This past year, COVID-19 and the U.S. elections have provided fertile ground for conspiracy theories—with sometimes disastrous consequences. Karen Douglas, PhD, of the University of Kent in the United Kingdom, discusses psychological research on how conspiracy theories start, why they persist, who is most likely to believe them and whether there is any way to combat them effectively.

Karen Douglas, PhD, is a professor of social psychology at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. Her research focus is on beliefs in conspiracy theories and their consequences. She is also interested in the social psychology of human communication, including the influence of technology on social interaction.