The COSTS of CONSPIRACIES

When someone you love falls into a web of false theories, they could be hurting their health. But lecturing won't work: First, consider the anxieties that fuel their beliefs

- GINNY GRAVES

During the height of the COVID-19 epidemic, there was a flood of conspiracy theories pushing false health claims: Masking is dangerous!...The vaccine will alter your DNA!...The epidemic was caused by 5G cell phone towers!...and so many more. But this kind of thinking-in which frightening or tragic events are seen as secret plots or malevolent acts of powerful people or organizations-isn't just a recent phenomenon. Conspiracy theories tend to flourish in times of crisis (such as after 9/11 and after mass shootings), and people often turn to them as a way to cope with uncertainty and quell anxiety.