Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories

Why people who believe in one conspiracy are prone to believe others

By Michael Shermer

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-people-believe-conspiracy-theoies&WT.mc_id=SA_WR_20120822 

  For those interested in a more anecdotal description of the problem, I recommend Jonathan Kay's highly readable and entertaining book, Among the Truthers -- A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground.  See:

http://www.amazon.com/Among-Truthers-Americas-Conspiracist-Underground/dp/0062004816/