Havana Syndrome. It’s the story with nine lives that resembles a game of whack-a-mole. Just when you think it’s gone, it suddenly pops up somewhere else. On Sunday, March 31st60 Minutes broadcast a special televised report which suggested that it is a real medical condition caused by a directed energy weapon and that Russian operatives are behind it. Havana Syndrome is the name given to the mysterious set of symptoms that befell American diplomats in Cuba starting in 2016 and has been the subject of intense speculation ever since. When asked about the 60 Minutes report, the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre bluntly shot down the claims: “The intelligence community has not concluded that,” she said emphatically. While the story caused a sensation on social media, it was devoid of concrete evidence. In this column, I will discuss some social psychological factors that appear to be driving people to latch onto the belief that Americans are being zapped by energy weapons despite compelling evidence to the contrary.
Before I begin, let’s make one thing clear: there is no credible evidence for Havana Syndrome. In 2023, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced that after many years of investigation, a consensus had emerged among U.S. intelligence agencies that Havana Syndrome never existed. Instead, they concluded that it resulted from an array of pre-existing health conditions and anxiety disorders. Environmental factors also played a role, such as conditions prompted by chemical exposures and allergies. Two recent studies by the National Institutes of Health reached the same conclusion; it found no evidence that anyone was attacked or suffered brain injuries, as had been claimed. So, in the wake of such investigations, why do social media platforms such as X, TikTok, and Facebook continue to be a hotbed of claims that American citizens are being targeted with a secret weapon? Also, why do media outlets continue to push the story despite an absence of evidence?
1. Current Fears and the Power of Moral Panics
The belief in Havana Syndrome supports an existing narrative that has driven moral panics for centuries: xenophobia and the fear of the enemy at the gate. In this case, it drives the current panic about all things Russian. Second, it fits with the present global preoccupation with the fear of new technologies. In recent years, there has been a surge in people worried that appliances and devices that are in everyday use will harm their health from exposure to everything from microwave ovens to mobile phones, Wi-Fi, powerlines, and 5G towers.
2. Ego
Some journalists have spent years building the story up, only to have it come crashing down over the past year with the release of the report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In the case of 60 Minutes, their program on Havana Syndrome interviewed only believers—eight in all. Subconsciously, there may be a need to find a ‘smoking gun’ that proves it is real because they are fearful that admitting they were wrong will harm their reputation. Many studies show the opposite: when people are willing to admit a mistake, their credibility and integrity in the eyes of others is typically enhanced, not diminished.
3. The Prevalence of AHIs
The U.S. Government refers to the symptoms that supposed Havana Syndrome victims are experiencing as Anomalous Health Incidents, or AHIs. Part of the problem is that unexplained health problems are extremely common, and the list of Havana Syndrome symptoms is remarkably long and vague. They include health complaints that most people would likely experience in any given week: fatigue, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, headache, nausea, dizziness, disorientation, insomnia, ear pain, tinnitus, nose bleeds, and depression—among a host of other symptoms.
4. Excitement
It’s exciting to think that a foreign power is going around zapping Americans with a secret weapon and our government knows about it and is covering it up. Conspiracy theories about vaccines containing microchips or that the U.S. military has taken possession of a crashed ‘flying saucer,’ can give people a sense of enhanced status and a feeling of being special as they have access to knowledge that others don’t.
5. The Search for Confirmation
Some people have stopped searching for information and instead have gone on a quest for confirmation of their pre-existing beliefs. Psychologists refer to this as confirmation bias: the tendency to seek out sources that reinforce existing biases and beliefs. As a result, they may read ten articles on Havana Syndrome and just focus on the ones that support their views. In today’s online information age, this is easy to do. Someone who believes that people are being abducted by space aliens can go online and visit websites that support this perspective. They can start corresponding with other believers and join groups that further solidify their convictions.
Beyond these factors is the quest for popularity and financial incentives, as discussion of the subject has become a cottage industry for some bloggers, social media influencers, and journalists. Let’s face it: it’s a ‘sexy’ story that reads like a spy novel, complete with secret weapons and political intrigue. Like interest in UFOs and the Loch Ness Monster, regardless of the reality, the mysterious storyline will continue to fascinate the public.