Vì sao con người mê mẩn thuyết âm mưu?

hãy giúp họ giải quyết trực tiếp những vấn đề này, họ sẽ không còn (cần phải) tin vào thuyết âm mưu nữa...

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Dear Dan,

My aunt and uncle invited me to dinner this week. I’m very much looking forward to seeing them again, but I’m dreading (kinh hãi, khiếp sợ, nghĩ đến mà sợ) the inevitable (không thể tránh khỏi) conversation (cuộc trò chuyện) about climate change (biến đổi khí hậu) (we all live in the Pacific Northwest) as my uncle is a firm believer in conspiracy theories (thuyết âm mưu). How can I get through to someone I deeply care about without getting into an argument?

—Emily

The odds of changing your uncle’s opinions in one meeting are 0. Don’t even aim for that. You might be able to make a dent in his beliefs over time, but you will need to understand his motivations and approach the conversation calmly and with empathy (đồng cảm).

Often people are drawn to conspiracy theories because they feel angry (giận dữ), powerless (bất lực) or disappointed (thất vọng) about their lives and the state of the world. For example, perhaps your uncle feels anxious about the recent heat wave and his lack of control over the environment. Research shows that such feelings are common among conspiracy theorists. Concluding that climate change doesn’t exist satisfies an existential psychological need: to feel safe and in control of external events.

Listen to what your uncle has to say. When you better understand the forces underlying his beliefs, you can try to help him deal with these more directly and in this way reduce his need for conspiracy theories.

Bài trước: Bài học về tin giả trên mạng xã hội