[telesilla]

What kinds of evidence-based resources are there I can use to send friends who insist on believing in conspiracies? I usually try and find some peer-reviewed research. Maybe they don't read it because of the dryness but it seems to have the most authority.

[HeavenFox]

When you try to argue with them, you already lost. People believe in what they choose to believe in, and human brains treat attacking one's belief as attacking oneself.

As long as they are not causing harm, just leaving them be is probably the best approach.

[pmorici]

Believe studies have found that trying to use facts to change people's minds is not effective at least when it comes to politics and beliefs.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-matter/201810/...

[qubex]

If you’re in the mood for a very interesting read, I recommend On Being Certain: Believing You’re Right Even When You’re Not (2008) by Robert A. Burton.

[imposterr]

The common sentiment that shows up when talking about people who believe in these outlandish conspiracies is that "you can't reason someone out of a belief that they didn't reason themselves into", or some variant of that. While I think a lot of people may read that and think that it means these people can't be helped, I think it's more that the method you described, a method based in science and reason, will not resonate with them. While I unfortunately don't have any concrete advice about how to help these people, I can say that a more humanistic approach is probably a better bet.

[pintxo]

I usually go for asking questions. „Is this the most plausible reasoning?“ / „wouldn’t x be way simpler/cheaper/easier?“

The sceptic guide to the universe by Steven Novella also has a short chapter on how to seed some skeptic thinking into others for them to reconsider their believe in conspiracies.

[brianobush]

I have largely given up trying to convince others. It seems so much more fun to believe these wild ideas than to consider rational ideas based on evidence.

[scarface74]

It’s gotten so bad that when Fox News posts news that is critical of the President or it post polls showing Trump is behind, readers claim that Fox has been taken over by liberals.