https://phys.org/news/2018-05-likelihood-conspiracy-theories.html > He adds, "For many members of the public, particularly individuals who have benefited from existing social and political arrangements, these developments and changes are quite threatening and can motivate compensatory endorsement of conspiracy beliefs or theories." > Vitriol and Jessecae K. Marsh, an associate professor of psychology at Lehigh University, have found new research that inflated confidence in one's understanding of politics and public policy is associated with the tendency to believe in political conspiracies.