Conspiracy theories are one of the banes of the modern world, exacerbated by the internet and social media. What was once relegated to the fringe has now been pushed into the mainstream, actively shaping public discourse and policies. But why do so many people buy into these narratives even when they are contradicted by empirical facts?

In a new study published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, researchers identify two psychological traits common among people with a conspiracist mindset: a sense of injustice and a low tolerance of ambiguity.

To reach their conclusions, the study authors focused on the idea of cover-ups, the belief that organizations and governments deliberately hide the truth from the public. They surveyed 253 people from several countries, asking them to rate statements such as "politicians usually do not tell us the true motives for their decisions" and "government agencies closely monitor all citizens."

The researchers then took a deep statistical dive into 14 variables, including age, sex, and mentality, to see which ones might explain why someone develops a conspiracist mentality. Three factors in particular stood out, accounting for nearly 20% of why people believe conspiracy theories.

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