Government cover ups.

There are ridiculous conspiracy theories, no doubt, and then there are cover ups.

Governments benefit by having their shenanigans re-labelled 'conspiracy theories'.

'Conspiracy theory' is the convenient new rug under which corruption is swept. The hard work comes when trying to get to the truth.

One of the fathers of the victims of the Flight 800 disaster believes it was a military accident. But his belief has been labelled a 'conspiracy theory' on Wikipedia.

And then I find the Alex Jones of this world intensely annoying. Their ridiculous 'crisis actors' and 'illuminati' nonsense makes it easier for other genuine crimes to escape justice.

The human desire to make sense of completely random events and also a place to put blame. No different than "its gods plan"

To feel special and important like mommy said they were, but with zero actual effort.

Some folks didn't get the answer they want so they make up stories with evidence that's beyond circumstantial, but it sounds good though.
Conspiracies don't need a shred of proof, just ask the flat-earthers.

I,to,have a conspiracy theory. I believe Einstein was killed by the mafia because he knew to much

Ignorance and confirmation bias.

Reasons of conspiracy thinking according to me is lack of education and also heavy indoctrination. Heavy indoctrination is the reason why religion still exists, and it doesn't allow you to think and act rationally in situations. Lack of education because we tend to live in our own cocoon of superstitious thoughts till the time we don't truly educate ourselves, and realise that we are spending our energy on bullshit.

There is a new conspiracy theory about the root cause of conspiracy theories ,but i have my own theory on that .

Conspiracy theory was coined by one of the alphabet agencies to discredit individuals that have found out something about them it is a "psy op " word used to discredit, anyone who gets together with another is in a conspiracy, so, folks that think they do not exist, is as you say, a Buffoon

I would say that there are two causes:

The first is when the official version does not match the facts. A Perfect example is The Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of JFK. The CIA actually used the term "conspiracy theorists" to ridicule anyone who questioned the official version of what happened. Of course, the US Congress has since denounced the Warren Commission's Report and the lone gunman theory.

The second is when the subject feels powerless and finds it easier to just blame "them," whoever they are. A good example is the deep state theory being flung around by the right wing. If you take the time to listen to what they are saying, you will discover more internal inconsistencies than in any four books of the Christian Bible.

Sometimes it takes a generation or more to determine if something comes under the first or second cause. Again, the Warren Report is an excellent example.

I believe that time will prove the 9/11 Commission Report to be one of the great conspiracy theories in the history of our country. There are just too many facts and too much evidence that does not match the official version.

It is much easier for us to believe what we want to as opposed to the facts. This is why it took me 20 years to escape from religion. blushes embarrassingly

Try a loss of confidence in power, in all its forms, to tell the truth, admit fault or incompetence, or accept responsibility, because, as Col. Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) told us, "The truth, you can't handle the truth.."

Never forget Watergate, a crazy conspiracy theory. Bay of Tonkin, another one. Pentagon Papers.....

Fluoride in the water

I believe conspiracy theories are simply a product of an over active imagination coupled with personal issues of fear and paranoia.

I think simply being skeptical can lead to such thinking. I also think the more you look for something the more you'll find it (confirmation bias). I think the really fascinating question is what percentage of them are actually right. Has to be at least a couple that are spot on eh?

Mistrust

Ignorance and intellectual laziness.

In a nutshell. Dunning Kruger effect.

I think it's fear. The world is "scary," and I think conspiracy theory thinking still holds that what happens is 'controlled.' In other words, it happens on purpose. The idea of life happening randomly freaks us out, and to that end, Conspiracy theorists insist that there's a reason. The randomness is removed.

Some people get a thrill thinking they know things others don't know and can see things that others can't see - makes them feel smart/special/whatever. They also tend to have a distrust of people in official positions... which doesn't help.

These are people who feel fear of things they do not understand and also feel relatively powerless. They are also intellectually lazy and find it difficult to pursue real answers to complex problems and issues. So, they look for quick answers and people to blame.

Ignorance to a degree. Victim mentality. But, more than that, a willful refusal to give any credence to the gray matter in their heads.

I think it is about wanting to have some kind of special insider knowledge, some insight into something that's unexplained.

I would say some of it would have to do with education or lack there of. And even then that would be situational at best.

Some conspiracies are likely kept alive in some hopes that they will found to be true.

Fantasy feels better for some so they cling to it. I, however, choose to see the bad in people and prefer the information I gather not have sugar on it. I learned years ago that living in a fantasy will only bring misfortune.

But to the contrary, I also believe it is important to have realistic dreams. A motivation to keep moving forward. For me it is finishing my college education while working full time and working to start my business in between all that.

Cognitive dissonance?

[bigthink.com]