If the belief in conspiracy theory is based on world Outlook installations person, to convince the unfortunate rational means almost impossible. To believe in such encourages people need to understand one's own existence.

"The da Vinci code" is based largely on the assumption that the painting "the last supper" by Leonardo figure to the left of Jesus, John the Theologian, and Mary Magdalene. (Image Bettmann / Corbis.)

Scientists from Yale University (USA) under the supervision of Anna-Kaisa Neuhauser explored the reasons why people believe in conspiracy theories. The participants of the poll were 144 students who read "the da Vinci Code" by Dan brown. Researchers believe that believes in silence Catholic Church truth about common children of Jesus of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala not marginal groups, and therefore very valuable for science - in contrast to "type in caps foil". (Perhaps gullible readers brown are not considered to be marginal for the simple reason that their idol was on TV - which Dan has spoken, that "Code" based on facts.)

The biblical number of the students asked a variety of questions, which, among other things, revealed the agreement or disagreement of the respondents the main theses of the "Code da Vinci", with the provisions of the Christian Canon and philosophy, new age, and made it possible to assess the strength of the fear of death. 50 elected members (most convinced in the existence of a Church conspiracy) then has at its disposal convincing evidence that Mr. brown said on TV wrong. As a result, the belief in the rightness of the writer had inclined to Christianity respondents staggered, inclined to new AGU - remained unchanged. (Christianity in the study were opposed not atheism, and new AGU: apparently, due to the similarity of the latter with a world view that were faced in the book with Christian, is a mixture of Gnosticism and paganism.)

"The code Yes Vinci", according to Ms. Newhauser, believe also those with stronger expressed fear of death. The researcher explains the results of a survey that conspiracy theories reduce people have anxiety arising from the lack of (their perception of) control over their existence, offering "why events occur". The nature of belief of people in the truthfulness of conspiracy theories she calls "fundamental"is associated not only with control of existence, but with the meaning of the latter, and with a sense of security, and emphasizes that the logic in such cases is not an effective means of pereopisanie. (It should be added that - according to the research nature of the belief in conspiracy theories is a fundamental only when it is associated with the philosophical attitudes of man, as braunite-Christians refused brown.)

Anna-Kaisa Neuhauser and her colleagues, calling the preliminary study, we intend to continue to work on the study of the reasons people believe other popular conspiracy theories.

The study is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.