The father of one my friends believes that jet condensation trails contain chemicals that governments use to control the population. He also believes that Michelle Obama is a man. These specific beliefs get spread on the Internet from one conspiracy believer to another. 

You have heard other conspiracy beliefs: Humans have never walked on the moon. The earth is flat. 

If you belong to a small religion, you may have beliefs that fit in the unusual category. For instance, Scientology believes that a space ruler named Xenu brought billions of his people to earth 75 million years ago and killed them by detonating hydrogen bombs. 

Psychotic individuals tend to have unusual beliefs that we call delusions. For example, some people think that they are Jesus or the devil. In a famous study, Milton Rokeach put in the same hospital ward three men who thought they were Jesus. Can you guess what happened? Initially they quarreled over who was holier, but soon they explained away each other as being mentally disturbed or dead. 

There is no limit to what humans can believe. Some people think that they can bring up the wind. One of my teenage clients decades ago believed that she was “fat, fat, fat,” even though she looked fit, fit, fit. 

Beliefs vary from weak to strong. Recently, I told my research assistant what NAIDOC stands for. She disagreed, but I felt sure of my belief. We bet $10 on who was right. It wasn’t me. 

Beliefs do not change easily. At times there are great external pressures to believe something. In some religions, if you reject a belief, your family and friends shun you. In many places on this earth, if you reject publicly the belief that your country is the greatest one on earth, you can expect to be denounced as a traitor.

We also have internal pressures to keep our beliefs. No one wants to be wrong. Being wrong can make us feel foolish. So we ignore evidence contrary to our beliefs and look for evidence in support. Also, we seek out fellow believers. In the realm of beliefs, there is comfort in company. 

Here is one of my unusual, non-original beliefs: We live in a multiverse, which has a huge numbers of “universes.”

Here is another: We humans exist to give extraterrestrial aliens a paid experience in fleshy existence.  But I do not feel committed to these beliefs - I could be convinced by evidence to drop them. 

What are your most unusual beliefs? Would you let them go if you found solid evidence against them?