How to Start Your Own Cult: The 4 Step Guide

*Disclaimer: this is satire – do not start a cult.

The Psychology Behind Cults (And Why You Might Already Be in One)  

So, you want to start a cult – and with the right psychological techniques, a little charisma and a carefully curated sense of mystique, you too can collect a loyal following of devoted disciples who are willing to abandon their families, empty their bank accounts and maybe even tattoo your face onto their bodies. Still interested? This may sound a bit (or a lot) extreme, but not really. Cults are everywhere, and chances are you’ve already found yourself in one (or ten) without even knowing it. But before you start recruiting your minions, let me break down the science of brainwashing because, at the end of the day, the secret to a great cult isn’t faith or even magic, but simple neuroscience and psychology (and maybe a touch of manipulation and bribery). 

Step 1: Finding the Perfect Victim (Hint: Everyone) 

Contrary to belief, cults don’t only prey on the weak minded – they don’t need to. Most of the time it’s the smart, successful, emotionally stable people who tend to find themselves in cults, because they aren’t selling fear, they’re selling meaning.  

Your best bet would be people in major transitions: university students, recent divorcees, people going through career changes or simply people who have recently Googled “how to find purpose in life.” These are people looking to find something bigger than themselves, looking to become a better version of who they are, and you, prospective cult leader, are here to provide that.  

This works because our brains naturally crave certainty and belonging, driven majoritively by the limbic system, responsible for processing emotions, memory and behaviour, which plays a key role in driving people towards communities which offer stability and support. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs tells us that after our physiological needs of food, water and shelter, we are desperate for safety, followed by human connection, purpose and identity – all things a good cult should offer.  

Neurologically speaking, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is responsible for things like decision making, attention and error detection. When someone comes across inflicting information that challenges their belief system, the ACC activates causing discomfort. To reduce this tension, people either change their beliefs or they reject the conflicting information and strengthen their existing beliefs. Cult leaders take advantage of this second reaction by presenting an unshakeable “truth” and labelling outside perspectives as lies which make it easier for followers to cling to their beliefs rather than question it.  

The dopaminergic pathways, in particular the mesolimbic reward system (a neural pathway transporting dopamine from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accubens, amygdala and hippocampus), associated especially with reward and desire, plays a key role in motivated behaviours like reward seeking. This reinforces the positive emotions associated with group belonging making the cult ideology deeply rewarding at a neurochemical level.  

Step 2: Love Bombing 

Now that you have found your ideal recruits, it’s time for love bombing: a cult leader’s best friend. This is all about making them feel special, like they have finally found the people who truly and completely understand them. Tell them they are destined for great things. Tell them they have been under appreciated. Drown them in compliments, gifts, hugs, and long, meaningful eye-contact (yes, seriously – it works). 

Love bombing triggers oxytocin release, the same hormone responsible for building romantic relationships and between parents and children. Oxytocin enhances bonding and trust between people while lowering activity in the prefrontal cortex, responsible for critical thinking and skepticism (cue Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love). This means that when someone is on an oxytocin high, they become much less likely to question authority and more likely conform to group norms (aka peer pressure).  

Additionally, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is crucial in regulating stress. A cult manipulates this system by alternating between overwhelming love – surges in oxytocin and dopamine – with periods of withdrawals, activating the amygdala – the brain’s fear centre. This cycle creates dependency, close to that of addiction, where recruits crave the next dopamine-oxytocin rush and reinforcing emotional loyalty. This is the same thing that happens in toxic relationships – someone is obsessed over you at first, showering you in affections, then slowly start controlling your life. Congratulations, you’ve already experienced step 2 of cult indoctrination.  

Step 3: Isolation is Key (catch the rhyme?) 

Now you have the trust of your followers, great! Time to cut-off their access to the outside world and any perspectives that aren’t your own. Friends, family, Google – whoosh, they’re gone. Make them believe that anyone who questions your teachings are jealous, toxic or even brainwashed by the government (again – extreme, but it happens). Some tactics include introducing insider language, claiming “the world is against us” creating an us-vs-them mentality, or scheduling endless meetings so they’re too busy to even think critically about what they are doing.  

Isolation and information control weaken the prefrontal cortex activity meaning your ability to think critically, reason with proper logic and control your impulses are seriously affected. At the same time, amygdala activation increases, heightening emotional responses and dependance on the cult for guidance. Social identity theory explains that when people are isolated from their previous affiliations, they begin to define themselves primarily through their new group, shaping their identities traits to conform, again, reinforcing loyalty.  

Furthermore, chronic activation of the stress response (mediated by the HPA axis) leads to excessive cortisol release, impairing memory consolidation and increasing suggestibility over time. This makes individuals more prone to conformational bias, seeking out only the information that aligns with their new reality, or in simpler terms “hearing what you want to hear”. For example, Charles Manson, leader of the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, moved his followed to the desert so that they were completely isolated thus entirely dependant on him. No phone calls, no outside news, social media, or even interaction – just endless reinforcement of his reality.  

Step 4: Control the Narrative (aka Brainwash Like a Pro) 

At this point, your followers are hooked, but you need to seal the deal – ensure ultimate loyalty. Neuroplasticity plays a crucial role here. The brain physically rewires itself in response to repeated ideological exposure, strengthening synaptic pathways that reinforce the cult beliefs while weakening pathways associated with skepticism. When recruits experience cognitive overload from new, constant teachings, their locus coeruleus (a small part of the brain which produces the neurotransmitter norepinephrine or noradrenaline), which regulates attention and arousal, floods the brain with norepinephrine and makes them highly reactive to emotional stimuli.  

This stress-induced shift in neurochemicals leads to decreased executive function, making recruits more likely to accept extreme beliefs without critical analysis while also exhibiting almost violent reactions when confronted with those with “outsider beliefs”. This is the stage at which your recruits will do anything for you, whether that is doing simple roles within the community to going as far as committing group suicide for the sake of their leader (I highly do not recommend).  

Takeaway 

Cults thrive on certainty and belonging – things all of us crave, whether we admit it or not. The best way to avoid falling for one? Understanding the science behind such manipulation. Next time you get offered “the answers to everything” maybe ask yourself: is this enlightenment? Or just a well-timed oxytocin hit? If they start throwing matching tracksuits (not looking at house kit) and an aversion to fact-checking – run. And if you ever catch yourself going along with an idea that just seems all too convenient, remember, most cults don’t go around advertising with a neon sign “COME JOIN MY CULT”. The most dangerous cults don’t announce themselves; sometimes they just feel like home.