Conspiracy beliefs and interpersonal relationships

Anecdotal reports in the media and on forums such as Reddit’s r/QAnonCasualties suggest that relationships can suffer when one person in the relationship believes in conspiracy theories. People commonly report having “lost” a loved one who has fallen down a “rabbit hole” of conspiracy beliefs. However, despite all the anecdotal evidence, very little empirical research has examined the consequences of conspiracy theories for people’s interpersonal relationships. In this chapter, we examine what we know so far about the consequences of conspiracy theories for relationships between people and highlight some examples of our ongoing research. We also highlight the need for further research and discuss potential factors that could prevent relationships being eroded by conspiracy beliefs.