What's Up with Conspiracy Theories?

For my first blog post and podcast episode, I wanted to look into the psychology behind conspiracy theories, and why people are so fascinated by them. Speaking from personal experience, people are obsessed with the morbidity of things. If I hear about a true crime case, I hyperfixate on the crime until I know all there is to know. That’s one explanation as to why people are interested in conspiracy theories, they are entertained by them.

Another reason people pay attention to conspiracy theories is because the audience needs to know the full story. As humans, we always want to know why things happen the way that they do. That’s why people love mysteries. It’s exciting to follow a story and finally get the answer. With conspiracy theories, it’s like a never-ending mystery. Regardless of whether or not we have the full truth right in front of our eyes, we can always find a way to poke holes in the truth, or convince ourselves that the truth isn’t the truth.

Going off of that, people tend to want to have answers so they can avoid behaviors that can lead to the same outcome. For example, if you see someone get hurt from a certain behavior, you would tend to avoid that same behavior to avoid the consequences.

I may not be a conspiracy theorist, but I do find them fascinating. As humans, we want to know the answer to each and every question we have. That’s why I love conspiracy theories. Even if they’re completely outlandish and outside the realm of possibility, the human mind is able to rationalize them, to some extent.

There are various factors that make conspiracy theories attractive to people. Whether it be curiosity of the unknown, action deterrence, or just straight up entertainment, conspiracy theories can serve a purpose.