Dr Karl Kruszelnicki reveals he was once a doomsday prepper who fled to the Blue Mountains because he believed a massive tidal wave would swamp Sydney

By Marta Jary For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki has spent much of his career destroying fallacies with facts. 

But the physician and television personality, who is dubbed 'the people's scientist', has fallen victim to conspiracy theories in the past. 

In an interview with The Australian on Saturday, the 74-year-old admitted that in the early 1970s, he fled Sydney in fear of a tidal wave. 

Past: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki (pictured) has spent much of his career destroying fallacies with facts. But the physician and television personality, who is dubbed 'the people's scientist', has fallen victim to conspiracy theories in the past

Past: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki (pictured) has spent much of his career destroying fallacies with facts. But the physician and television personality, who is dubbed 'the people's scientist', has fallen victim to conspiracy theories in the past

He and a group of 'hippy' friends hid out in the Blue Mountains - armed only with rice, water and kerosene - awaiting a disaster that never came. 

'I believed simply because my friends told me about it. That was enough; because my friends were so convinced, I took that as a very high authority,' he said. 

The doctor says because of that experience, he now understands how people fall for wild conspiracy theories. 

Fears: In an interview with The Australian on Saturday, the 74-year-old admitted that in the early 1970s, he fled Sydney in fear of a tidal wave

Fears: In an interview with The Australian on Saturday, the 74-year-old admitted that in the early 1970s, he fled Sydney in fear of a tidal wave

Memories: He and a group of 'hippy' friends hid out in the Blue Mountains - armed only with rice, water and kerosene - awaiting a disaster that never came. Pictured around that time

Memories: He and a group of 'hippy' friends hid out in the Blue Mountains - armed only with rice, water and kerosene - awaiting a disaster that never came. Pictured around that time

'I wasn't thinking. Trusting information from a friend [rather than an expert] is a well-known factor in psychology,' he told the paper. 

'It's why peer recommendations are more persuasive than advertising. It's because we are social animals and we have to get along in order to survive. 

'I was a smoker back then too and I'd heard about the ­Surgeon General's health warning but I didn't accept the ­science until a friend advised me to quit.' 

'I believed simply because my friends told me about it. That was enough; because my friends were so convinced, I took that as a very high authority,' he said. The doctor says because of that experience, he now understands how people fall for wild conspiracy theories

'I believed simply because my friends told me about it. That was enough; because my friends were so convinced, I took that as a very high authority,' he said. The doctor says because of that experience, he now understands how people fall for wild conspiracy theories

Dr Karl is well known for bringing scientific knowledge to the layperson, and has been active in debunking Covid conspiracies in his popular TikTok videos. 

He also recently went viral with videos which shared surefire tips for recovering from hangovers and reasons why you should never flush your toilet with the lid up.

Dr Karl says while having another drink will alleviate symptoms in the short run, time is the greatest - and safest - healer. 

The media personality, who has degrees in medicine and biomedical engineering, also said flushing with the lid up releases a 'polluted plume of bacteria and water vapour'. 

'I wasn't thinking. Trusting information from a friend [rather than an expert] is a well-known factor in psychology,' he told the paper

'I wasn't thinking. Trusting information from a friend [rather than an expert] is a well-known factor in psychology,' he told the paper

Sydney

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