Are People Who Sleep Less More Gullible to Conspiracy Theories?

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Results from a pair of studies revealed patients with insomnia and poorer sleep quality were more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, with depression playing a key role in this relationship. Investigators suggest that improving sleep could help reduce susceptibility to these beliefs.

“Poor sleep quality can leave us feeling irritable and impair our cognitive functioning,” wrote a team of investigators led by Daniel Jolley, Ph.D., assistant professor in social psychology at the University of Nottingham. “Research has even demonstrated that just one night of poor sleep negatively impacts our emotional and physical well-being.”

This decline can lead to an increased belief in conspiracy theories. As some theories have had deleterious effects on society, including acts of violent extremism and an increase in distrust among citizens, researchers are interested in identifying the predictors of these beliefs. Some data have suggested anger, paranoia, depression and anxiety are linked to these thinking patterns. However, a good night’s sleep has been shown to help prevent or alleviate these symptoms because sleep plays a significant part in restoring cognitive and affective functioning.

The first study enrolled 540 individuals to determine whether poor sleep quality (sleeping less than seven to nine hours a night) could increase conspiracy beliefs after being exposed to conspiracy theories. Participants were placed in either the conspiracy group, in which they read a narrative that the 2019 Notre Dame Cathedral fire was deliberate and the truth was kept from the public, or the control group, which stated the fire was an accident and information was shared with the public.

Although exposure in general led to a higher belief in these theories, those who reported poorer sleep over the past month were more likely to believe the conspiracy theories.

Expanding upon the initial findings, the second study recruited 575 individuals to confirm the connection between sleep quality and conspiracy beliefs. Investigators also wanted to better understand the psychological mechanisms behind the belief in conspiracy theories.

Participants reported an average of 33.14 minutes to fall asleep and an average of 6.94 hours of sleep per night.

Results confirmed a connection between poor sleep, insomnia and conspiracy thinking, with depression positively predicting both conspiracy mentality and specific conspiracy beliefs. The roles of anger and paranoia were less consistent but also linked to specific conspiracy beliefs.

Investigators noted limitations including using self-reported measures of insomnia and sleep quality. There were also issues in establishing causality due to its correlational design and the lack of sleep manipulation. Future research should use longitudinal designs to explore how changes in sleep quality impact well-being and conspiracy thinking over time. Additionally, it is possible that poor sleep may foster conspiracy beliefs by providing idle time for rumination, which is linked to catastrophizing and conspiracy thinking. Further exploration is needed to understand whether more subtle aspects of well-being, such as self-esteem, mediate this relationship.

Results highlight the power sleep quality has on the spread of conspiratorial content and represent a modifiable factor in combating conspiracy thinking. They encourage future research to look into the long-term connection between sleep, well-being and belief in conspiracy theories.

“Sleep is crucial for mental health and cognitive functioning,” Jolley emphasized. “Poor sleep has been shown to increase the risk of depression, anxiety and paranoia — factors that also contribute to conspiracy beliefs. Our research suggests that improving sleep quality could serve as a protective factor against the spread of conspiratorial thinking.”