First Google I came up with the psychological profile of a conspiracy theorist is here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5724570/ https://www.ncbi.n

First Google I came up with the psychological profile of a conspiracy theorist is here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5724570/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5724570/ Lots of interesting points IMHO. It is mentioned that those who "habitually seek meaning and patterns in the environment" and cannot tolerate mundane or unclear explanations for big world events are more prone to conspiracy theories. So on one hand, on this, I think you are right. On the other hand, a lot of the article is devoted to the notion that conspiracy theories are a social defense mechanism among the more vulnerable, threatened, and/or powerless population. Narcissism -- both of the self, and tribal narcissism, is also mentioned as a factor. (Ironically, as the article mentions, conspiracy theories tend to make it less likely that individuals will take actions that, in the long run, might boost their autonomy and control. Thus the article calls conspiracy theories a "self-defeating form of motivated social cognition".) I'll buy that it is a messy combination of any or all of the above factors that lead to a belief in conspiracy theories -- such make sense from my small sample of people I know who are more prone to conspiracy theories. (They do note that "vulnerable and disadvantaged populations that have been identified as most likely to benefit from [conspiracy theories]" have not been as extensively studied as they would like to see. Interesting conclusions so far though.)