Coronavirus: the conspiracy theories

Misinformation has potential to be just as damaging as the outbreak itself, say psychology academics

Coronavirus
A Thai man is scanned for Covid-19 in Bangkok
(Image credit: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Daniel Jolley, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle, and Pia Lamberty, PhD Researcher in Social and Legal Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, look at how coronavirus is becoming a breeding ground for conspiracy theories in an article originally written for The Conversation.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, with new cases being reported all the time. Spreading just as fast, it seems, are conspiracy theories that claim powerful actors are plotting something sinister to do with the virus. Our research into medical conspiracy theories shows that this has the potential to be just as dangerous for societies as the outbreak itself.

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