deepstash
Beta
Deepstash brings you key ideas from the most inspiring articles like this one:
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
9
Key Ideas
Save all ideas
In the earlier times, conspiracy theories were a convenient way to cover up the inadequacies of the government, and putting a set of helpless people as a scapegoat, cloaking the misdeeds or mismanagement of those holding the ranks.
In 331 B.C., an epidemic was hidden in Rome, using a false story of mass poisoning by some women. Even now, in the current 2020 pandemic there are conspiracy theories doing the rounds, like a virus disease being spread by the telecommunications industry.
125 SAVES
The organic and unpredictable nature of conspiracy theories had led many researchers to investigate the cause of the phenomenon.
110 SAVES
Every society has its own, unique anxieties and obsessions, and the conspiracy theories that gain good mileage are the ones that tap into these primal fears.
Example: Many people fear vaccination of the children due to fears that the mass drive to vaccinate such a large population has some ulterior motive, like a mass medical experiment. The dodgy past record of the health care system, and the fact that the vaccination is free of charge, of course, adds fuel to the fire.
108 SAVES
When a certain class or section of people are victimized, they can start to believe in conspiracy theories that seem to target their group. Identity play is easily exploited by politicians and also by religious leaders.
People split into groups create an automatic ‘us vs them’ behaviour, leading to strong social bonds inside the group, and an automatic conflict with those outside the group.
118 SAVES
Lack of knowledge and an uncertain, dangerous future creates the mental space for a conspiracy theory to flower. Such theories quickly come out of the blue whenever some crisis or major conflict happens.
118 SAVES
The fanaticism associated with certain conspiracy theories and the extent to which many would even put their lives on the line points towards blind belief, the same kind of beliefs perpetuated by many organized religions, right down to the content, storyline and purpose.
98 SAVES
When there is no official information, or if the official statement is vague, a certain gap is formed, and that ambiguity and mystery, along with mistrust of ‘official information’ combines into a conspiracy theory.
The official explanations of certain unexplained events like a mysterious plane crash or a sudden celebrity death are often inadequate and full of holes, providing space for the conspiracy theories to grow.
101 SAVES
Even when someone debunks a certain theory, they are essentially talking about it, and while they condemn it, they are still raising the profile of the idea, giving further mileage and traction to the conspiracy theory’s core belief, which many would still think could be true. The more a certain thing is discussed, the more legitimate it seems.
97 SAVES
Even as we see newer conspiracy theories that have no base, it is good to know what is the core problem that gives rise to such conspiracy ‘theories’ (which don’t even have a theory underneath).
The problem comes from a general lack of distrust with the government, the experts and the all-too-powerful institutions.
115 SAVES
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
7
Key Ideas
You may think it was your idea to keep your desk neat or speak up in a meeting, but your behavior was likely influenced by those in your network.
Once we understand social network...
In addition, a network has ties between people.
The connections between individuals are what changes a group to a network.
Your experiences in the world is not only a product of your own desires, actions, and thoughts, but also a product of the desires, actions, and thoughts of people around you.
The things that are seemingly personal to you are actually very strongly influenced by similar traits in other people. You do have agency. You can choose what to do. But you're also affected by what others are doing. Both are true.
4
Key Ideas
In a perfect world, we would use both success and failure as instructive lessons. But our brain doesn't learn that way. It learns more from some experiences than others.
Confirm...
A study found that choice had an apparent influence on decision-making. In the studies subjects learned more when they had a free choice and when the choice gave a higher reward.
However, when participants were forced to select a specific choice, they were less invested in the outcomes, similar to a child mindlessly practicing to please a parent.
When people can make a free choice, they embrace positive or negative outcomes that confirm they were right.
Studies show that this tendency persists in both poor and rich conditions. This means the brain is primed to learn with a bias linked to our freely chosen actions. The brain learns differently and more quickly from free choices than forced ones.
It’s hard to figure out for managers what kind of people make the best, most productive remote employees.
Optimism is the quality to look for, while the trait to avoid is people-pleasin...
Self-motivation is a great quality for remote workers, as they are at home, only accessible through email or through video conferencing to the manager.
High levels of enthusiasm, a positive approach and choice of words provide clues to the manager if someone has an optimistic frame of mind.
If a manager is getting to hear only what is pleasant to hear, at all times, it can be a cause for concern. Remote employees must be willing to say things that aren’t going right, and most of the time, there are many such things. If they can disagree with you, it’s a good sign.
Also, if an employee is going out of the way to be liked by colleagues, and wastes a lot of time and mental energy on it, he/she is probably a people pleaser.