"Can't Sleep Well Leads to Falling for Conspiracy Theories?"... Unusual Research Findings

"Sleep Is Essential for Mental Health and Cognitive Function"

A study has found that people with poor sleep quality are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories.

According to the New York Post on the 12th (local time), Professor Daniel Jolley’s team at the University of Nottingham in the UK revealed through two experiments involving over 1,000 participants that those who had poor sleep quality in the past month were more likely to believe conspiracy theories when exposed to them.

In the first study, the researchers assessed the sleep quality of 540 participants and then had them read two articles about the 2019 Notre-Dame Cathedral fire in Paris, France. One article included the official announcement that the fire was accidental, while the other contained conspiracy theory content.

The results showed that people with poor sleep quality in the past month were more likely than those with good sleep quality to believe the conspiracy theory that there was deliberate concealment regarding the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire.

The second study investigated whether the fundamental psychological mechanisms behind increased belief in conspiracy theories with poor sleep quality showed similar patterns to insomnia. This study involved 575 participants.

This study also found that both decreased sleep quality and insomnia were significantly associated with conspiratorial thinking, belief in specific conspiracy theories, and other conspiracy-related beliefs. Anger and paranoia also influenced conspiratorial beliefs but showed less consistency.

Professor Jolley explained, "Sleep is essential for mental health and cognitive function," adding, "Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and paranoia. These factors also influence belief in conspiracy theories." He emphasized, "Improving sleep quality could serve as a protective factor to prevent the spread of conspiratorial thinking."

Meanwhile, the results of this study were published in the international academic journal Journal of Health Psychology.