People who believe in creationism are also more likely to believe conspiracy theories, say researchers

A team of researchers at the University of Fribourg claims to have found a link between creationists and belief in conspiracy theories.

The study measured over 800 people in the areas of analytical thinking, and esoteric and magical beliefs.

It concluded that those with 'teleological thinking,' in which a person believes that 'everything happens for a reason,' are more likely to buy into creationism and conspiracy theories.

The researchers said that teleological thinking was a kind of 'cognitive bias' which makes individuals less likely to apply scientific reasoning and more likely to draw fallacious conclusions about historical or current events.

'We find a previously unnoticed common thread between believing in creationism and believing in conspiracy theories,' explained researcher Sebastian Dieguez.

'Although very different at first glance, both these belief systems are associated with a single and powerful cognitive bias named teleological thinking, which entails the perception of final causes and overriding purpose in naturally occurring events and entities.'

He continued: 'This type of thinking is anathema to scientific reasoning, and especially to evolutionary theory ...Yet it is very resilient in human cognition, and we show that it is linked not only to creationism, but also to conspiracism.'

Many creationists look to the Book of Genesis in the Bible to explain how the Earth came into being and believe that it is only a few thousand years old.