A few years back, I was startled and dismayed when, over lunch, a friend told me he had come to believe that the 9/11 attacks were "an inside job." This highly intelligent and accomplished man was convinced that the official explanation of that day's terrorist attacks was a hoax. No amount of evidence to the contrary could convince him otherwise.
How did this happen? It's impossible to say for certain, but he is far from alone: A 2014 study concluded that half of Americans believe at least one conspiracy theory. There has been plenty of research in recent years attempting to discover what leads people to trust in these often-outlandish, highly problematic narratives. While the results suggest the answer is not simple, a newly published paper provides some valuable insights.
The research looks at two elements that have been cited as playing a role in conspiracy beliefs: unstable self-esteem (the uncomfortable state of feeling unsure about one's abilities, attitudes, or value to society), and a strong sense of belongingness (which leads to intense identification with some social group). The study finds that these two factors are indeed strong predictors of such a mindset—when they interact in a specific way.
[For more of this story, written by Tom Jacobs, go to http://www.psmag.com/politics-...conspiracy-theorists]
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