Relationship Between Bullshit, Cognitive Skills, and Belief Systems: A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract

Bullshit—verbal statements with little or no concern for the truth—has sparked a growing interest in individual traits, with an increase in the number of studies aimed at understanding why people are more receptive to this type of false information. This review seeks to identify variables associated with bullshit receptivity. To this end, a meta-analysis was conducted using two databases (Web of Science and Scopus). From 451 articles reviewed, those that met the inclusion criteria were included in 12 meta-analyses. The results (k = 46) confirmed direct associations between bullshit receptivity and factors such as motivational quotes, mundane statements, confabulations, conspiracy mentality, religious and paranormal beliefs, and/or faith in intuition. Additionally, receptivity was indirectly associated with cognitive reflection tests, verbal intelligence, and numerical abilities. These findings offer a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and identify key variables that could help mitigate bullshit receptivity.