Believing in conspiracy theories is comforting

The argument

On a psychological level, it is comforting to think of events as part of a wider plan rather than down to chance. If we stop to think about it, the complexity and randomness of the world is all-encompassing and terrifying. It is much more calming to think of the world as predictable. This is even more common in the modern age, in which people feel increasingly removed from any sort of community or belief, leading to feelings of anxiety. These anxieties can be calmed by conspiracy theories. For many it is cognitively pleasurable to see seemingly terrifying world events (such as 9/11) as part of an ongoing global conspiracy. This is the same instinct that has led people to turn to religion - a fear of the randomness of life and our corresponding mortality. People are inclined to believe in conspiracy theories simply because the alternative is terrifying.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Critics argue the 'comfort' account is incomplete and sometimes backwards. Many conspiracy beliefs are frightening rather than reassuring — that shadowy elites control events, that a lethal plot is underway — so believers often end up more anxious, not calmed. If the drive were simply to feel comforted, it is not obvious why people would adopt beliefs that heighten fear and distrust. They add that the debate's other positions offer explanations the comfort account does not cover: distrust of mainstream institutions, social and group-identity factors, and psychological needs such as a sense of control, certainty or feeling special. Research points more to pattern-detection gone awry, motivated reasoning and the desire to understand or predict a threatening world than to comfort as such. On this view comfort may play a part for some, but singling it out as the reason oversimplifies a phenomenon the rival positions attribute to several interacting causes.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Critics note many conspiracy theories are alarming rather than soothing — positing hidden malign control — so believing them frequently increases anxiety, undercutting 'comfort' as the driver. [Rejecting C] Comfort is one possible factor among several; distrust, social identity, and needs for control or uniqueness (the debate's other positions) may explain belief better, so comfort does not establish the cognitive-reaction account on its own.