Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
Someone Asks People To Share Conspiracy Theories That They Actually Believe In, Here Are 30 Answers
The US seems to be the home sweet home of conspiracy theories. From Area 51 and Bigfoot sightings to chemtrails, New World Order, Freemasonry, Illuminati, Sandy Hook, “stolen election,” COVID-19 pandemic… Well, we don’t have that much time for naming them all. But you get an idea.
But wouldn’t it be great to look at the minds of people who actually believe the conspiracy theories and see what it is in there that makes them tick? Thanks to a redditor who posed the question “What conspiracy theory do you believe to be true? What evidence led you to this conclusion?”, we are now able to do just that.
Let’s see what exactly made people believe in one conspiracy or another, and don’t forget that the truth, it’s just out there.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Modern art exists solely for money laundering.
I believe that modern/minimalistic art exists solely for money laundering. It's just a way for rich people to move money around. There's a reason why paintings of plain geometric shapes sell for millions of dollars, and it's not because the buyers are really into shapes
You May Also Like:
#2
Women's fake pockets are a marketing ploy.
Women's pants have fake pockets to make us buy purses.
ThatOneCrazyFanGirl 3 years ago
YES. i have soooo many jeans, but their front pockets are either fake or have the size of a quarter full of room. smh
#3
The US will never publicly fund college because no one would enlist in the military.
The US will never add colleges to public funding like they did high schools because then the enlistment rate for the military would plummet.
Jacob Allen 3 years ago
Definitely. Same goes for universal healthcare, the US government's first priority is the military; the people who elected them come second. They could use 50% of the military's budget to be the first country to completely eradicate homelessness and drastically improve quality of life for all of us AND still have the almost powerful military in the world but no.
Conspiracies are covered under a veil of unknown, much like these theories they represent. They appear from seemingly out of nowhere, start surfing around on social media, some become a part of urban legends, while others disappear until new speculations emerge.
To find out how exactly conspiracies work and what goes on inside conspiracy theorists' minds, Bored Panda reached out to Thomas Roulet, a Senior Lecturer in Organisation Theory and the Deputy Director of the MBA Programme at the University of Cambridge. Thomas is also the author of the 2020 book “The Power of Being Divisive: Understanding Negative Social Evaluations” published by Stanford University Press.
When asked a rather broad question on why people believe conspiracies, Thomas said that there are two main mechanisms in charge: “a sensemaking one and an identity one.”
#4
All my devices listen in on me. The other day I was arguing with my Dad about some chicken I thought had gone off (it was frozen for about a month so we weren't too sure but my Dad was insistent that it was still edible). Dad decided to ask Google, and low and behold the related searches even from the first letter were: "Is chicken edible after being frozen for a month" and "How long can you freeze chicken before it goes off".
Also, my Mum and I use this tactic where if we need to ring up a company about something and it puts us in a queue, we swear at it. It then puts you on a priority list and you don't have to wait as long. Kinda sketchy on the company's behalf.
Darko Pešić 3 years ago
I do legit belive in this, for example i was talking with a gf about matracess, and look at that, add on facebook suddenly become an ad for matracess... And no, i didnt google it
#5
That the government uses social media to manipulate, and measure public sentiment and opinion.
Truth Monster 3 years ago
This is true for some countries. Britain, Australia, Scotland have prosecuted people with the wrong opinions on social media. China is a few steps ahead, using social media to "ferret" out nonconformists and their friends. They also track Uighurs this way.
#6
The 10-year challenge was used to collect facial recognition data.
The 10-year challenge all over social media is actually a way to record and gather more facial recognition data.
Bill Cipher 3 years ago
That's why I refuse to show my face unless I'm in cosplay on the internet somehow I'm to shy to put my cosplay on and take a couple photos
“In an increasingly complex world, people want to make sense of their situation and their social environment. Seemingly unconnected events or clues are constructed as a coherent whole in the most successful conspiracy theories.”
Thomas added that “in a world where social connections are numerous but often meaningless (for example, on social media), people want to feel part of a crowd and a group—there is a need to find a tribe and identify with it.” As a result, “Conspiracy theorists have a strong sense of group identity, which made them attractive to those who might feel marginalized or excluded in society,” he explained.
#7
I believe that the government probably makes some conspiracy theories to try to make questioning the government seem somewhat crazy.
#8
Area 51 is not a place for secret government/military testing with aliens and stuff, instead Area 51 is a scapegoat while shady behind the scenes stuff is going on at another military base that the general public doesnt know about.
I mean if you were really going to do something in secrecy, would you do it in the place where everyone thinks it is? Hell no! I dont have any specific evidence to back this up but it makes sense right?
Scagsy 3 years ago
This makes sense. The only reason Area 51 came to light was because of the Roswell Incident. Otherwise it would have maintained it's secrecy. Area 51 is so notorious now that there is no way the military would have anything covert going on there other than normal military operations.
#9
Banks and landowners conspire to manipulate urban land prices. Turn an area into a ghetto by marking it as a high-risk loan proposition, denying loans in the area. Property values plummet on a down-town area because no one can sell, because no one can get a loan. Once things are down enough, you can buy up prime location land at pennies on the dollar then re-develop it into being worth the 'real' market value of such a central location, plus what you invested in the actual development.
According to Thomas, “People buy into conspiracy theories are in all parts of society—from the most to the least educated, from the richest to the poorest,” so no particular group of people is safe from believing in conspiracies. It’s because “everybody needs to be able to make sense of their reality, and everybody needs to feel part of a group and socially integrated.”
#10
I used to tell people that I believed the government listened to or phone calls. Years later some guy named Snowden proved me right.
#11
I believe the US military went to Afghanistan in order to seize control of the Poppy fields and instead of destroying them they manufactured black tar and other forms of heroin and sent it back to the states. I have several friends that were marines in Afghanistan and they've confirmed these suspicions. The drugs got worse after being in Afghanistan not better or more contained. The USA military is the biggest cartel in the world
#12
The lines on the detergent caps are higher than they should be so you use more detergent for each load of laundry. It's so easy for them to get away with it
Ryan-James O'Driscoll 3 years ago
It's not a conspiracy theory. The recommended dosage for detergent is more than enough to be effective. There are a lot of factors that can affect the performance, so they can't recommend a lower amount because if it didn't work, everyone would think it was crap. They need something that covers everyone. The added advantage is that people tend to use more. The sensible thing to do is to adjust your dosage to factor in the soilage, water quality and your machines performance. Most people can drop the dosage quite considerably.
Many new conspiracies have emerged in times of the worldwide pandemic, and Thomas says that it has to do with the fact that the current situation adds complexity and changes on a daily basis.
“It is hard to comprehend, to understand, and it's brutal and sudden. All of this makes people want to make sense of an incredible, unprecedented, and difficult-to-accept situation. Such a unique situation calls for an out-of-the-ordinary explanation—and lends itself well to conspiracy theories.”
Moreover, “People are looking for information, and they are looking for culprits to explain the terrible situations they have to experience. They want to believe this can be pinned on a specific actor,” he concluded.
#13
Priceless artwork and historical documents are replicas.
I’ve always speculated that a lot of priceless artwork and historical documents are actually replicas or copies.
Obviously a painting by a world-famous artist using a very specific technique would be very hard to fake, and I don’t think that every art scholar in the world is paid off in some grand conspiracy. Rather, I just think that either the national treasures never left their vaults or that some national treasures actually were lost to history but they were copied.
chi-wei shen 3 years ago
A few museums actually place their most expensive items in a secure vault and only display replicas to the public. However, according to all information available, the original Mona Lisa is on display.
#14
Modern drug prohibition is a "for profit" endeavor perpetrated by governments for the benefit of pharmaceutical corporations, prison industrials, and warlords.
#15
The countdown timers on ads for games or streaming services are actually longer than seconds. Seems too long sometimes.
#16
Disney only named a movie Frozen to distract from 'frozen head' Google searches.
That Disney made a movie named Frozen so that when people google things like 'frozen' and 'Disney' together, info about the movie comes up instead of stories about Walt Disney’s frozen head.
Saint Thomas 3 years ago
There's a persistent rumor that Walt Disney's body was frozen after death so he could be reanimated in the future.
Load More Replies...
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
I knew someone who'd worked for Walt Disney. They just made his head the same temperature as his heart.
Easily Excitable Panda 3 years ago
I think Disney made "Frozen" to make a ton of money, honestly. They're annoyed by the "Walt Disney's Frozen Head" theory, but I doubt that drove the making of the movie.
Kira Okah 3 years ago
This has been debunked, most Walt Disney's frozen-ness articles came out after the film. Also, Walt was cremated anyway.
Terry Reauxper 3 years ago
Uh, no, these rumors have been around since the 70s, when Mr. Disney's investment bankers bought into a firm that supported a research lab looking into freezing humans. They eventually sold out of the company, but the rumors had already started...
Load More Replies...
Jim Ellington 3 years ago
His head was not frozen; it was resurrected, and is on full display in the Haunted Mansion ride.
Bradley Bannerman 3 years ago
They just needed a character called Walt. Then when you googled Walt Disney Frozen.......
Hugh Walter 2 years ago
Soooooooooooooh! That's a bona fide conspiracy theory about a bona fide conspiracy theory? You're too meta for me!
Thomas Turnbull 3 years ago
His head went off it ain't frozen anymore thanks to liquid nitrogen leaks.
Allen Lavine 3 years ago
I hate when people that like conspiracy theories says google it google has so much stuff you will always find something to fit you narrative
Mary Peace 3 years ago
I knew about this but (living in the UK) I had forgotten. Thanks to some pandas posts here, I now have it in the forefront of my mind. That isn't what Disney wanted.
#17
The Hawaii nuke false alarm was a test.
The Hawaii nuke false alarm last year was actually the US government testing to see how the general population would react if an actual nuclear war broke out.
#18
23 and Me is run by the government to collect your DNA and database it for later.
Truth Monster 3 years ago
How is this a conspiracy? They are already using the DNA collected to solve 'cold case' murders. I don't know about this company specifically, but all it would take is a warrant for them to have to share their data.
#19
UFO sightings are just humans from the future on a time-traveling safari.
All the UFO sightings throughout history are just humans from the future on a time-traveling safari meant to observe how we were in the past. They are supposed to keep out of sight, but thanks to human/mechanical errors, there have been hiccups with their cloaking which have resulted in being seen. That's why there have always been so many reports of them throughout history, but there has never been an attack. It's just us.
Also the reason why we don't see as many examples of UFOs now even though pretty much everyone has a camera is because people are not that interested in this time period since we already document aspects of human life all the time.
#20
When Ted Kaczynski (the unabomber) was at Harvard, he participated in a brutal psychological experiment led by professor Henry Murray. The experiment lasted for three years and by many accounts they seemed to have an extreme impact on Kaczynski’s psyche. I think this experiment was part of the CIA’s MKUltra project and destabilized Kaczynski enough to where he eventually went on his reign of terror of sending bombed packages around the country.
During the MKUltra project, the CIA collaborated with university professors on these mind-control experiments but a lot of the documentation was destroyed when people started to look into it.
TL;DR: The unabomber participated in an experiment that was a part of the MKULtra project that eventually led to him becoming a mass-murderer.
#21
I believe in the mattress store conspiracy, so the conspiracy is that mattress stores are for money laundering. I went onto google maps and typed in ‘mattress stores near me’. There were 4 MATTRESS STORES IN THE SAME SHOPPING CENTER. There was a road that had 5 mattress stores less than a mile apart. So I definitely believe in it.
Just a Marine Veteran 3 years ago
Or places like vacuum stores or fan stores that only sell one type of thing in a small town. If there is no way they could possibly get enough business to make it; it is suspicious.
#22
I believe that chapstick causes lips to become more dry a couple hours after usage. I base this on the fact that my lips are more dry 5 hours after using chapstick than 2 days after using it
#23
I’m starting to believe anti-dandruff shampoo actually causes dandruff.
von Krawall 3 years ago
Anti-dandruff shampoo is only for people with an oily scalp. If you have dandruff caused bydry, scalp this shampoo will only make it worse. Then you need a mild shampoo tgat will moisturize your scalp.
#24
Apple started the AirPod memes.
I believe that Apple started the 'wearing AirPods = cool/rich' meme intentionally to boost sales. They became the best-selling wireless earbuds worldwide after the meme.
#25
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 wasn't an accident. There were definitely external forces that catalyzed its disappearance. The flight path was diverted many times and there was a lot of shady stuff about some of the passengers and the pilot of Flight 370. We may never know unless the plane is found.
Sue Hazlewood 3 years ago
What sort of 'external forces'? This one is so vague as to be pointless.
#26
Michael Jordan's father was murdered in retribution for Jordan not paying off massive gambling debt. Jordan didn't retire and then come back, he was suspended for gambling. In the mid 90's, Michael Jordan was an industry. The truth about his gambling habits may have cost a lot of people a lot of money, so the cover story was presented.
CowboyHank 3 years ago
Does anyone have any idea how much Michael Jordan is worth? If he couldn't pay off a gambling debt, he was in deep
#27
Tinder gives fake 'You got a new match!' notifications to get you to swipe more.
I have a theory that Tinder gives fake 'You got a new match!' notifications so people get excited and open Tinder, which leads them to swipe more.
troufaki13 3 years ago
I would say "you got new people like you" not "you got a match". Matching would mean both people liked each other so you would know if you liked them. But you can't know if someone liked you without actually swiping right!
#28
Restaurant owners sing 'Happy Birthday' to embarrass you.
Restaurant owners know how awkward it is to be sung to in front of the whole establishment, and they do it to discourage people from taking advantage of their free birthday food.
Lululoohoo 3 years ago
I'll never be discouraged from cashing in on free birthday food. Sing to me, dance for me, whatever..give me my free sundae
#29
Gas station owners are the ones putting the card scammers on the pumps. They don't want your info, they want you to distrust pay at the pump so you'll come inside and make an impulse buy. Most stations barely make any money of gas, the money is in the stuff they sell inside.
#30
The bacon industry is ever so slightly making normal sliced bacon thinner every few years,so that eventually,what was once considered normal sliced bacon becomes thick cut,thus saving the big bacon industry money.
My only evidence is the fact that my bacon,which I have always and will only buy from a specific brand,seems to be getting thinner and thinner,more flimsy,more likely to fall apart as I get it out of the package.
What do you think ?
Ray Martin 3 years ago (edited)
TLDR - People believe weird, stupid s**t about almost everything, rather than seek out the actual facts.
Kira Okah 3 years ago
Especially since some of these are widely disproven.
Load More Replies...
InfectedVoice 3 years ago
Whoever this John Louis guy is, he needs to learn what a conspiracy theory is.
SirPatTheCat 3 years ago
Conspiracy theory: John Louis is a government agent trying to discourage people from believing in conspiracy theories that are true
person (i think) 3 years ago
Well, they _are_ “conspiracy theories’” not “facts”
Load More Replies...
Red Ruffensor 3 years ago
Lots of silly stuff here, but there are a few thought-provoking ones.
Logic and Reason 3 years ago
I don’t think Epstein killed himself. I know I’m obviously not the first person to have said this, but it’s way too fishy. I’m not a whack job though, I understand that this is just a theory with no proof and I don’t get angry at people who disagree.
Hayley Benoit 3 years ago
some are true in this like the pockets for women. I mean it did begin as a witch thing sure. but once that was gone they could put them back but no its to get more money.
Quinn Alexander 3 years ago
How it started: "Atlantis is real and the Mona Lisa is fake" How it's going: "Vaccines have chips in them #StopTheCount" Conspiracy theories are a gateway drug to cult behavior.
Kristin Ingersoll 3 years ago
Most of these are already proven facts. Some are dumb. But there were a couple that were pretty good. I love the idea that DIsney named Frozen... Frozen. When I was a kid, the whole Walt Disney froze his head thing was HUGE! LOL!!!
similarly 3 years ago
Facebook, Microsoft and phone companies are doing more and more options to sign in by fingerprint, retina scan and facial recognition, not JUST for the added personal security, but in order to provide the government and law enforcement with a data base of recognition information that WE AGREE to provide in the eula that we never read.
Tom Hardeveld 3 years ago
money is printed on a material that collects dna and ATM's are built to scan all of that for future use. there, thought of that in like 10 seconds I could fill a post like this in a day, an actual talented writer like Douglas Adams could write 10 books about this if he wanted. it's not conspiracy, it's over-functioning imagnation
jknbt jknbt 3 years ago
here are categorical lists of the current conspiracy theories: https://www.ufoinsight.com/conspiracy
jknbt jknbt 3 years ago
you left out the ufo cover-up... the covid vaccine is in wide scale test worldwide right now.. all sorts of horrific side effects are showing up... that's why the governments of the world never allowed wide-scale testing or approval... google search for the side effects of the vaccine... yes, small percentages affected, but nevertheless, severe intolerable side effects to loos on the unsuspecting public... latest side effect reported: miscarriages by pregnant females who take the vaccine... the baby says, "hell no, I don't want that virus in me, I'm leaving"....
Rita Shapiro 3 years ago
Venn diagram: folks who believe that the holocaust and the 2020 election results were faked, and people who believe THIS crap is real = a complete circle.
Easily Excitable Panda 3 years ago
A little research would disprove a lot of these 'theories.' I'm just grateful no one questioned the Warren Report.
Vicky Z 3 years ago
It's very clear on the title that these are conspiracy theories! Just theories! If they provide who,what, when,where then it's not conspiracy anymore! It is fact!
Load More Replies...
Ray Martin 3 years ago (edited)
TLDR - People believe weird, stupid s**t about almost everything, rather than seek out the actual facts.
Kira Okah 3 years ago
Especially since some of these are widely disproven.
Load More Replies... InfectedVoice 3 years ago
Whoever this John Louis guy is, he needs to learn what a conspiracy theory is.
SirPatTheCat 3 years ago
Conspiracy theory: John Louis is a government agent trying to discourage people from believing in conspiracy theories that are true
person (i think) 3 years ago
Well, they _are_ “conspiracy theories’” not “facts”
Load More Replies... Red Ruffensor 3 years ago
Lots of silly stuff here, but there are a few thought-provoking ones.
Logic and Reason 3 years ago
I don’t think Epstein killed himself. I know I’m obviously not the first person to have said this, but it’s way too fishy. I’m not a whack job though, I understand that this is just a theory with no proof and I don’t get angry at people who disagree.
Hayley Benoit 3 years ago
some are true in this like the pockets for women. I mean it did begin as a witch thing sure. but once that was gone they could put them back but no its to get more money.
Quinn Alexander 3 years ago
How it started: "Atlantis is real and the Mona Lisa is fake" How it's going: "Vaccines have chips in them #StopTheCount" Conspiracy theories are a gateway drug to cult behavior.
Kristin Ingersoll 3 years ago
Most of these are already proven facts. Some are dumb. But there were a couple that were pretty good. I love the idea that DIsney named Frozen... Frozen. When I was a kid, the whole Walt Disney froze his head thing was HUGE! LOL!!!
similarly 3 years ago
Facebook, Microsoft and phone companies are doing more and more options to sign in by fingerprint, retina scan and facial recognition, not JUST for the added personal security, but in order to provide the government and law enforcement with a data base of recognition information that WE AGREE to provide in the eula that we never read.
Tom Hardeveld 3 years ago
money is printed on a material that collects dna and ATM's are built to scan all of that for future use. there, thought of that in like 10 seconds I could fill a post like this in a day, an actual talented writer like Douglas Adams could write 10 books about this if he wanted. it's not conspiracy, it's over-functioning imagnation
jknbt jknbt 3 years ago
here are categorical lists of the current conspiracy theories: https://www.ufoinsight.com/conspiracy
jknbt jknbt 3 years ago
you left out the ufo cover-up... the covid vaccine is in wide scale test worldwide right now.. all sorts of horrific side effects are showing up... that's why the governments of the world never allowed wide-scale testing or approval... google search for the side effects of the vaccine... yes, small percentages affected, but nevertheless, severe intolerable side effects to loos on the unsuspecting public... latest side effect reported: miscarriages by pregnant females who take the vaccine... the baby says, "hell no, I don't want that virus in me, I'm leaving"....
Rita Shapiro 3 years ago
Venn diagram: folks who believe that the holocaust and the 2020 election results were faked, and people who believe THIS crap is real = a complete circle.
Easily Excitable Panda 3 years ago
A little research would disprove a lot of these 'theories.' I'm just grateful no one questioned the Warren Report.
Vicky Z 3 years ago
It's very clear on the title that these are conspiracy theories! Just theories! If they provide who,what, when,where then it's not conspiracy anymore! It is fact!
Load More Replies... Related on Bored Panda
