\u201cUsually saying something disparaging like \u2018oh that\u2019s crazy\u2019 or \u201cOh my God how can you believe that? That\u2019s so ignorant\u2019 is not a good way to approach this,\u201d says Dr. Barna Donovan, director of the department of communication and media studies at Saint Peter\u2019s University who is a recognized expert on conspiracy theories. \u201cRather, ask them \u2018well, why do you believe that? How did you form those opinions? What is the source of this information now and is it trustworthy?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words, refutation is a way to shut down the conversation. Instead, ask questions, and encourage more conversations. Taking the time to understand where a person\u2019s beliefs are coming from may provide an opportunity to teach them about media literacy and protect themselves from such beliefs in the future. For anyone with a conspiratorial family member, this might sound optimistic, but there\u2019s evidence that the approach works. According to a\u00a02017 study<\/a>\u00a0of 397 adults, the researchers found that \u201cgreater knowledge about the news media predicted lower likelihood of conspiracy theory endorsement, even for conspiracy theories that aligned with their political ideology\u201d.<\/p>\n Of course, asking questions is only the first step in trying to open up your conspiratorial family members to facts. \u201cThis is all a long process,\u201d says Donovan and she has some insights that might help family members reconcile beliefs \u2014 and quash conspiracies.<\/p>\n I wanted to start off by asking you how you would define what a \u201cconspiracy theory\u201d is. How can we define it so that we can identify it when our kid or family member believes in one?<\/strong><\/p>\n The general definition I would give is that it\u2019s an accusation of a very broad and complex plot by a hidden organization that is so powerful and that they can control all of the major world events.<\/p>\n What do you mean by hidden? Can you give an example of this?<\/b><\/p>\n So usually the conspiracy theorist claims are that visible organizations like the CIA that we know are there are doing things behind the scenes that gives them power. So essentially, nothing in the world is occurring by chance. That there\u2019s some sort of a cabal that\u2019s operating behind the scenes. So a true conspiracy theory assumes that even though you have organizations that are visible like the government tor law enforcement, there is a hidden cabal behind the scenes that\u2019s controlling them.<\/p>\n What is it about a conspiracy theory that makes it so believable for many people?<\/strong><\/p>\n Conspiracy theories help bring order to a very confusing world. For many people it\u2019s going to be very disturbing and very frightening to think that there can be so many mistakes made. It\u2019s much more comforting to think about that than to say there are no reasons for all the calamities in the world, that if you just dig deep enough, if you put the pieces together, then you can crack the codes. They give hope that you would be able to unmask this conspiracy and bring order to the world. I think we\u2019re living in a very complicated world run by a lot of technology that people just don\u2019t understand how it works. I mean, most of us are plugged into our phones and computers and tables 24 hours a day. They supply us with endless information of a complex world. I think people are looking for some clear explanations of why things are happening, that there\u2019s somebody in charge or somebody\u2019s controlling things.<\/p>\n What is my family thinking when they believe in these? It seems crazy to me.<\/strong><\/p>\n It can just give people a feeling of superiority. It\u2019s like really good ego boost to believe in a conspiracy theory. Like I am more aware than my friends or than my family that I\u2019m able to go and pick up the little clues that other people can\u2019t pick up.<\/p>\n Would you say that technology has played a role at all or do you think we were always susceptible to believing in conspiracy theories and they\u2019ve always existed in this capacity?<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, sure. They have always existed. Technology just gave an extra boost, but you have conspiracy theories basically going back as far as people were living in societies. It\u2019s just part of human nature to wonder about whether or not my problems are being caused by somebody else on purpose, somebody that I can\u2019t see. But then when you get to the age of the internet and, and social media, then this just allows so many people to easily access theories. And it gives so many people, especially young people, like kids, easy access.<\/p>\n W<\/strong>hat you would say if somebody in your family \u2013 whether they are older or younger like a niece or nephew \u2013believed in conspiracy theories, would you try and talk them about it? And if so, what approach would you use?<\/strong><\/p>\n Usually saying something disparaging like \u201coh that\u2019s crazy\u201d or \u201cOh my God how can you believe that? That\u2019s so ignorant\u201d is not a good way to approach this. Rather, the better approach is to ask them \u201cwell, why do you believe that? How did you form those opinions? What is the source of this information now and is it trustworthy?\u201d I would then ask them to check their source and explain that anybody can go and set up a webpage and put anything they want. I mean, you have webpages claiming that, you know, every world leader is an alien lizard. Anybody can put up anything. Also see if anything has been taken out of context. Like if there are a couple of small quotes of someone famous, it may be that they said those words in a different context.<\/p>\n Ok, so use empathy and try to understand where they\u2019re coming from by asking open-ended questions without judgment. Then use it as a teaching moment. What then?<\/strong><\/p>\n This would be the point where you tell them that the information they\u2019ve been hearing is inaccurate and give them tips like how to double-check information online themselves. Like if they\u2019re looking at a source, does the source say every single thing is a conspiracy? Are they profiting from this? How can you trust them then? If these people are selling other products, like volumes of their self-published book, they\u2019re getting an audience and profiting from these things.<\/p>\n This is probably going to be a long process right? Can I do this in one sitting? Can I sit my kid down and have a conversation and then trust that they\u2019re done believing in conspiracies?<\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately, it would tend to take time. People like to cling to their beliefs and don\u2019t like to be contradicted. There\u2019s the psychological theory of the cognitive dissonance that once we think that we have the world figured out, and then we have a world of you, we like to avoid any kind of contradictory information. So it would be an ongoing process and that\u2019s hard to do, because you don\u2019t know if you can force them to do this. So let\u2019s say if you\u2019re sitting around a Thanksgiving dinner, crazy uncle is telling you a conspiracy theory. I can\u2019t go and whip off the tablet then and there.<\/p>\n Right, so it would be a moment to understand where he\u2019s coming from.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah and what you can probably say is that it\u2019s very important that we know the truth about very complex and dangerous things in the world, but you have a lot of unscrupulous people in the world. I can acknowledge that the conspiracy believer sees themselves as critical thinkers. They\u2019re going to say that I am critical of sources of information so that\u2019s why I don\u2019t believe the large media sources. You have to remind them that it\u2019s great that they\u2019re a critical thinker, but you have to be critical of every source. So like you said, this is all a long process and this perhaps has to be able to do the work to be able to separate the truth from the fiction of conspiracy theorists.<\/p>\n At what point do we have to seek professional help?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If it looks like it\u2019s getting to the point that they could be a threat to themselves or a threat to others then I would go and seek some kind of counseling, you know, if somebody is displaying destructive behavior. And this is difficult to do because let\u2019s say if somebody doesn\u2019t want to wear a mask right now, because the conspiracy theory told them that COVID-19 is a hoax, you can\u2019t force them to do anything. You can try to give them critical thinking exercises and if they\u2019re not willing to do it, and they come to your house unprotected, then I\u2019d cut them off from the family because what they\u2019re doing is dangerous. I would suggest they seek help but it\u2019s difficult to force someone to do that so at that point I would just protect myself. Sign up for the Fatherly newsletter to get original articles and expert advice about parenting, fitness, gear, and more in your inbox every day.<\/p>\n What if COVID-19 hit insecure men where it really hurt? We might not be all off to think that if the coronavirus leads to erectile dysfunction<\/a>, the not-insubstantial percentage of\u00a0men who don\u2019t wear masks<\/a>\u00a0might change their ways and shorten this horrific\u00a0pandemic<\/a>. Well, then it\u2019s time to listen up. The evidence of a COVID and ED connection is starting to crop up with men reporting that they\u2019re having trouble getting an erection after being infected by the\u00a0coronavirus<\/a>. Low libido from pandemic stress probably plays a role, but doctors say the virus itself could make it hard to get aroused.<\/p>\n This makes logical medical sense. Although COVID-19 is primarily known as a respiratory disease, it can disrupt many other body systems, including the cardiovascular system. \u201cErectile dysfunction largely stems from issues with blood flow, so it\u2019s no surprise that COVID-related vascular issues may be related to erectile dysfunction,\u201d Christopher Kyle, a urologist and medical health advisor for the sexual wellness company Giddy, told\u00a0Huffington Post<\/i><\/a>. \u201cAnything that degrades blood vessels or impedes how freely blood flows throughout all parts of the body will almost assuredly have an impact on the ability to achieve an erection.\u201d<\/p>\n Testosterone, which is crucial for erections, may also be a victim of COVID-19. The testicles are the main site of testosterone production in people who have them. Testicular cells have the ACE2 receptor on their surface that the coronavirus uses to invade cells, and researchers have found that the virus can use those receptors to infect the testes<\/a>. This could not only have an impact on the production of testosterone but also sperm \u2014 the coronavirus may not only affect erections but also fertility.<\/p>\n Overall poor health is also associated with erectile dysfunction. Men with poor health are at greater risk for severe COVID-19, and health problems from the disease can stick around for months, according to the\u00a0Cleveland Clinic<\/a>. This can put men who have been infected at risk for erectile dysfunction.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t yet data available that proves COVID-19 is the direct cause of\u00a0erectile dysfunction\u00a0or how common of a symptom it may be. \u201cIt\u2019s important to study it, because the total number of people involved may be in the millions and across all age ranges,\u201d Hunter Wessells, a urologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told\u00a0Elemental<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n However, these case reports of erectile dysfunction may not have a viral cause. Pandemic stress is beyond real, and its real effects include trouble getting in the mood. \u201cSo many people are stressed out from the one-two punch of the pandemic and the economy. They\u2019re working from home, some are or have been sick, and others are worried about finances. It\u2019s a mess,\u201d sex and relationship expert April Masini told\u00a0Fatherly<\/i><\/a>. \u201cThis kind of stress wreaks havoc on mental health and\u00a0sex drives<\/a>; this kind of stress creates sex deserts.\u201d<\/p>\n If it\u2019s a biological cause leading to erectile dysfunction after COVID-19, Viagra should help. If the roadblock is mental, self-care is essential. Exercise, eat right, and stop\u00a0doomscrolling<\/a> can reduce stress and make you feel a bit more in the mood. Although stress makes it harder to have sex, having sex decreases stress. If you can do it once, it might be easier to do again.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not experiencing erectile dysfunction, take precautions against COVID-19 now to prevent issues in the bedroom later. Follow safer-at-home guidelines and when you do have to go out, remember to mask up to keep it up.<\/p>\n