Table of contentsWhat is a conspiracy theory?Explanations on the conspiracy theoryThe psychological explanationPolitical disaffectionLack of educationAn inability to deal with bad newsA lack of understanding of the law of probabilityIronic funEffects and risks of conspiracy theoryStudies by Thomas Ståhl of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Jan-Willem van Proojien of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam revealed a mystifying result, as many respondents to the study that scored high on all rational and intellectual parameters subscribe to disproven theories. Examples of conspiracy theories include the belief that pharmaceuticals are the cause of pandemics, intentional spread of disease, human civilization being formed by aliens, mass shootings, and terrorism were of the machinations of the US government, as well as Hillary's "Pizzagate" trafficking scandal. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Despite tons of scientific evidence against conspiracy theories and the paranormal, a number of Americans still believe them. 20% think vaccines cause autism, 37% think global warming is a joke, 42% believe in ghosts and 41% believe in mystical readings and analyses. Indeed, in the real world, highly educated people fall for conspiracy theories that one would imagine they would dismiss as hogwash. What is a conspiracy theory? A conspiracy theory can be described as a claim that cannot be proven because the truth is being covered up by a group of people bent on carrying out malicious intentions, and therefore the original claim is true. This deeply held belief persists despite current access to information that can expose these notions. Experts believe that these come from certain psychological mechanisms caused by evolutionary processes. According to Christopher French, professor of psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, the appeal of conspiracy theories may come from the way we process information. Once theories take root, cognitive biases are fueled and further intensified. People tend to accept as true data those that support what they already believe and ignore those that disagree with their beliefs. Reports may be full of inconsistencies, but people inclined to uncover evidence of a cover-up will focus on these inconsistencies to strengthen their claims. The Internet contributes enormously to transforming and propagating these controversies. Why is this so? Here are the most likely explanations. The psychological explanation Most of the time, conspiracy beliefs are not based on coherent analysis. Although people are able to find meaningful patterns and their connections to the circumstances around them, sometimes their judgments are very wrong. This happens especially when events are beyond their control. In this modern world, manic vigilance can result in overinterpretation of visual and auditory manifestations which often lead to fanatical conspiracy theories. For example, the flickering of the street lamp outside the window every time the coffee cup is lifted can be interpreted as a suspicious CIA examination. Connecting dots that don't really exist tends to amplify plots. Some people's brains are convincingly connected to conspiratorial thoughts.