I think some people believe in irrational things so that they can conform with their in-group, but I there are a number of emotional reasons people believe in i

I think some people believe in irrational things so that they can conform with their in-group, but I there are a number of emotional reasons people believe in irrational conspiracies. -Desire to be nonconformist -Desire to feel intellectually superior by 'knowing something others don't' -Mistrust in authority -Fear of accepting a truth that will upend their understanding or the world -Fear (or refusal) of accepting a truth that upends their place in the world -Outright mental illness One thing I think the internet and social media does is that it allows people with singular causes of irrational beliefs to find others like them and that in turn reinforces their irrational beliefs. Not to mention that they can easily find misinformation on the internet that reinforces them.