Since the January 6, 2021 storming of the US capital by insurrectionists who believed the rigged-election conspiracy theory, it has become evident that conspiracism has risen from the margins of culture to the highest levels of society. Understanding why people believe conspiracy theories is now one of the most important problems to solve in social science, and in their new book, Helen M. Hendy and Pamela Black offer new research to explain who tends to adopt extreme beliefs and the psychological reasons why they do so. This important work is a must read for anyone interested in this existential threat to our democracy.

Michael Shermer, Publisher Skeptic magazine, Presidential Fellow Chapman University

Conspiracy Beliefs as Coping Behavior: Life Stressors, Powerlessness, and Extreme Beliefs by Helen M. Hendy and Pamela Black is a must read for any scholar of conspiracy theories, misinformation, and fake news. The authors cover new ground by linking understudied psychological traits and experiences to extreme beliefs and violence; I strongly recommend for anyone concerned about our current state of political rancor.

Joseph E. Uscinski, University of Miami