If you consider yourself mentally stable, of good character and to have thought things through carefully, what are you to make of those with whom you disagree? Surely, there are only three possibilities: they are either mad, evil or stupid. Well, that certainly seems to be how things are in the high stakes debate surrounding climate change. For example, the internet requires only the briefest of surfing in order to unearth an abundance of scholarly pronouncements calling into question the mental health, good faith and cognitive capabilities of anyone who dares to challenge the wisdom of a rapid transition to a carbon-free economy. But all of that has just changed due to ground-breaking research recently conducted by Nottingham University. Apparently, all you need in order to fall down the rabbit hole of climate change denial is to fail to get a good night’s sleep. Why? Because it would appear that there’s nothing more guaranteed to turn you into a rabid conspiracy theorist than a few sleepless nights.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that the researchers deny the existence of the many other factors that ‘explain’ the supposedly enfeebled reasoning of the climate change ‘denier’. After all, they readily avow:

Social influences, including social norms, also play a significant role. Personality traits such as narcissism and a preference for intuitive thinking are linked to greater conspiracy beliefs.

So no one is suddenly saying that climate change ‘deniers’ have thought things through properly, or are of good character. It’s just that there is this other thing that can lead even the best of us astray: sleep quality:

While these factors are well documented, our research adds another key factor: sleep quality. Poor sleep may increase cognitive biases and emotional distress, making people more likely to accept conspiratorial explanations.

I could blind you with science at this point, but there is no need. The logic can be made very simple once all intellectual dissent has been disallowed:

Sleep is crucial for mental health, emotion regulation and cognitive functioning. Poor sleep has been linked to increased anxiety, depression and paranoia – all of which are also associated with conspiracy belief.

A couple of non-replicated studies later and, voilà, your doubts regarding Net Zero have been neatly correlated with paranoia and a failure to regulate your emotions properly. But don’t you go dismissing all of this as just another prime candidate for the Ig Nobel prize. These are serious matters:

Conspiracy beliefs are not just harmless curiosities; they can have serious real-world consequences. They have been linked to vaccine hesitancy, climate change denial and violent extremism. Understanding the factors that contribute to their spread is essential for addressing misinformation and promoting informed decision-making.

The thing is though, when I look at what Ed Milliband has already baked into my future, I can’t help but think that it is he who is either mad, evil or stupid. Is this really just because I haven’t been sleeping too well recently? Would a good night’s sleep cure me of my misgivings? I’m not so sure. Call me a conspiracist, but I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that our friends at Nottingham University may have overlooked a few vital details.