Many people believe conspiracy theories, even though such beliefs are harmful to themselves and their social environment. What is the appeal of conspiracy theories? In this contribution, I propose that conspiracy theories have psychological benefits by imbuing perceiver's worldview with meaning and purpose in a rewarding manner. Conspiracy theories enable an alternative reality in which perceivers (a) can defend a fragile ego by perceiving themselves and their groups as important, (b) can rationalize any of their beliefs and actions as legitimate, and (c) are entertained through the opportunity to uncover a mystery in an exciting tale. These are short-term benefits, however, suggesting that conspiracy theories provide people with a form of instant gratification.

许多人相信阴谋论，即使这种信念对他们自己和他们的社会环境有害。阴谋论有什么吸引力？在这篇文章中，我提出阴谋论通过以有益的方式将意义和目的灌输给感知者的世界观而具有心理益处。阴谋论实现了另一种现实，其中感知者（a）可以通过将自己和他们的群体视为重要来捍卫脆弱的自我，（b）可以将他们的任何信仰和行为合理化为合法的，并且（c）通过机会获得娱乐在激动人心的故事中揭开谜团。然而，这些都是短期利益，这表明阴谋论为人们提供了一种即时满足。