Aleksander B. Gundersen

Abstract Given the profound societal impact of conspiracy theories, probing the psychological factors associated with their spread is paramount. Most research lacks large-scale behavioral outcomes, leaving factors related to actual online support for conspiracy theories uncertain.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories have received increasing attention from researchers, journalists, policymakers and the wider public in recent years. This rise in interest is partly based on the viewpoint that misinformation and conspiracy theories can have serious negative individual and societal outcomes that must be mitigated. For example, conspiracy beliefs have been linked to the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases [1], anti-science attitudes [2] and promotion of prejudice [3].

Many people hold negative stereotypes about feminists. Verbally, feminist women are often described in masculine terms whereas feminist men tend to be described in feminine terms. Here, we demonstrate that these effects extend to a fundamental perceptual level, more specifically, to the domain of face perception even in Norway, the most gender-egalitarian country of the world.