People who have invested in cryptocurrency are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, support political extremism or non-mainstream political ideologies, and have 'dark' personality characteristics such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism. N=2001

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#cryptocurrency #conspiracytheories #extremism #personalitytraits #psychology

A new study finds two main routes drive incels to harmful beliefs: one shaped by pain from bullying 😢 and poor mental health 🧠, the other by anger 😠, control, and extreme ideas. Feelings and beliefs mattered more than time spent online.

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#incels #mentalhealth #bullying #extremism #socialinfluence

British news media contribute to Normalisation of fringe-right extremist points of view when they leave them unquestioned in interviews 📰🤔🔍

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#BritishNews #MediaBias #Extremism #FringePolitics #CriticalJournalism

Conservatism and extremism were both associated with slightly less willingness to change one’s mind in the face of evidence. But the size of these relationships was consistently very small. Centrists and moderates showed the most belief updating, or the least rigidity. 🗳️🤔📊

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#Conservatism #Extremism #BeliefUpdating #Moderation #OpenMind

🪖 Study: Military service and combat experience do NOT broadly increase support for political violence or right-wing extremism. Widespread extremist attitudes among military members appear rare.

📊 Data from the 2022 Life in America Survey of 12,947 adults, including 2,255 with military backgrounds (1,105 combat veterans), found few significant differences between military and non-military respondents on beliefs about democracy or civil war.

⚖️ Military respondents were slightly more likely to justify violence for self-defense and to prevent harm to others. They were also slightly more likely to agree that straight white men hold too much power.

⚠️ While military respondents showed a slightly higher willingness to use force for political objectives or organize groups for this purpose, there was no difference in the likelihood of actually threatening or shooting someone. They were also slightly more likely to approve of the Oath Keepers, but no other right-wing extremist movements.

#MilitaryService #PoliticalViolence #Extremism

🛡️ New study of 58 countries finds human readiness for intergroup violence stems from two distinct motivations: defensive extremism (protecting one's group) and offensive extremism (seeking group dominance).

🌍 Defensive extremism, aiming to protect a group from perceived threats, is more prevalent globally, endorsed in 56 out of 58 surveyed nations, suggesting violence for protection is seen as more morally acceptable than for conquest.

🧠 Findings from over 18,000 participants reveal distinct psychological drivers: narcissism and manipulation lean towards defensive extremism, while a desire for dominance and religious fundamentalism link to offensive extremism. Psychopathy is related to both.

📈 Offensive extremist intentions are linked to societal dysfunction, including political terror and internal conflicts, particularly in countries with higher Global Terrorism Index scores and lower democracy/human development.

#Extremism #Psychology #GlobalSecurity

Strong approval of the National Rifle Association is linked to support for political violence. Approvers were also more likely to support conspiracy theories, right-wing extremist groups, QAnon, and agree with Christian nationalist beliefs, like government declaring the country a Christian nation.

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#PoliticalViolence #ConspiracyTheories #Extremism