Why Is QAnon’s Mythology More Popular Than Many Religions?

Source: Photo by Taras Chernus on Unsplash

Lying or myth-making has been a common feature of human behavior with profound consequences throughout history. Trump and QAnon exemplify leaders trying to control followers by offering a comfortable myth consistent with their own fears and desires. Therefore, it should not be surprising to learn that 50% of Republicans believe that Biden lost the election. How can so many people be so comfortable with such blatant untruths?

The human brain has a region of the frontal lobes that is very good at producing lies we tell ourselves and each other. This region of the brain becomes active when you perform complex behaviors such as lying. Lying is a complex task requiring considerable attentional ability, a vast memory for past events, and significant participation by this frontal brain region. These highly evolved brain regions allow us to be rather good liars.

Psychologists believe that most of us tell a lie to someone we know at least twice a day and that within one week, we lie to nearly one-third of the individuals we meet. Some individuals, such as narcissists, are born with cortical proclivities that induce them to lie almost constantly for the simple reason that they do not care about telling the truth. This may explain why narcissists, such as former President Donald Trump, are more likely to become wealthier and more powerful than the rest of us.

The human brain can retain an unprovable “fact” even when presented with rational and substantial evidence that it is wrong. This resilience to accepting fact over fiction is probably as ancient as the Homo sapien brain. The original lies that humans told each other were the creation myths; they brought comfort in a scary world where events seemed out of their control.

One of the earliest and well-known of these is the Babylonian creation myth Enūma Eliš that was found written on clay tablets in cuneiform script. It describes the creation of the world and a battle between gods; the story focused on the god Marduk. If you lived in Mesopotamia four thousand years ago, you probably worshipped Marduk and were comforted by the knowledge that he would take care of your interests, such as bringing good luck or good health. You would have genuinely believed the myth; you would have willingly killed or died for the honor of serving Marduk.

During the intervening millennia, the names of the creator gods changed to Faro (who incidentally saved the world from a flood by building an arc) or Unkulunkulu (if you were a Zulu). No matter when or where you lived, you embraced the lie because doing so made it more likely that you would survive.

That is the critical first step: For these creation myths to work, people had to ascribe to them a level of truth. The same is true for the conspiracy theories supported by QAnon. The myth has to be repeated over and over again. No matter how unbelievable the stories might sound, the believers accept the lies as fact and, most importantly, act as though the details are all true. Trump’s followers only needed to tune into their favorite pundits on social media, such as QAnon, and be told the lies they wanted and needed to be true.

Humans love a good myth rich with heroes who seem larger than life, fighting against injustice and leading people against their oppressors. This need fit exceptionally well with the narratives that QAnon and Trump offer. Their myths reduced the feeling that the world is dangerous and frightening because it is full of chaos and scary people. Trump’s and QAon’s lies comfort and confirm their fears.

Carl Sagan wrote in The Demon-Haunted World that the “combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.” Sagan warned that the only way to combat myths was science and knowledge; this is why Trump never failed to attack science at every possible opportunity.