We assumed that conspiracy belief would be associated with greater interoceptive sensitivity (i.e., people’s perceptions of their internal bodily activity). Specifically, people who believe in...Show moreWe assumed that conspiracy belief would be associated with greater interoceptive sensitivity (i.e., people’s perceptions of their internal bodily activity). Specifically, people who believe in conspiracy theories (CTs) may rely more heavily on their “gut feelings” and intuitions than people who do not believe in CTs. As a first test of this possible relationship, we examined whether interoceptive sensitivity is related to greater conspiracy mentality (CM) using a heartbeat detection task (N = 67). Further, we expected the relation between interoceptive sensitivity and CM to be positively mediated by faith in intuition and negatively mediated by analytical thinking. Contrary to our predictions, there was no relationship between interoceptive sensitivity and CM (β = -.15, p = .222). Mediation analyses did not reveal a mediated effect of intuitive or analytical thinking either. Yet, consistent with previous research, CM was related to analytical thinking and faith in intuition, albeit only marginally to the latter. Importantly, all results should be considered with caution, as our study has insufficient power. Further research on the relation between conspiracy beliefs and interoceptive sensitivity using well-suited manipulations is needed. Such research may have wide ranging implications for our understanding of conspiracy as well as ideological beliefs.Show less
