Conspiracy Theories: Why we want to believe when the facts often aren’t there

By DAVID KLEPPER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sometimes a story is more appealing than the truth. Experts say that’s one of the reasons to explain the popularity of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories have always been around. They’re alternative explanations for world events and they’re often not supported by the facts. Today, they’re playing an outsize role in politics and culture. Some of the examples are QAnon, as well as conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and stolen elections. Psychologists say conspiracy theories offer a sort of mental shortcut, giving believers a way to navigate a world that to them seems random, frightening and chaotic.