During the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have come across videos claiming that 5G towers were responsible for spreading the virus. Despite being repeatedly debunked, these claims were shared millions of times and even led to real-world consequences, including the vandalism of telecommunication infrastructure in several countries. And it didn’t stop there. Scroll through social media today, and you’ll still find narratives about hidden agendas, powerful elites, or manipulated elections. They don’t usually appear all in one go. Instead, they show up piece by piece – a post here, a video there, a comment that connects the dots.

At first, it’s easy to assume that people who believe in conspiracy theories are simply misinformed or not thinking critically enough. But that explanation doesn’t fully capture what’s happening. These ideas rarely spread because of one convincing argument. Instead, they build slowly. One question leads to another, and before long, separate fragments begin to feel like part of a bigger story.

Seeing patterns where there are none

So why does that story start to feel convincing?

Part of the answer lies in how the human brain makes sense of information. We don’t just passively absorb what we see: we actively try to organize it. We look for patterns, connections, and meaning, even when those connections are weak or misleading. This ability helps us navigate the world, but it can also lead us to see patterns that aren’t really there, a phenomenon described as illusory pattern perception. Think about scrolling through your feed. If you come across several posts that mention the same topic, especially within a short period of time, it becomes much easier to link them together. Even if each post is vague or incomplete on its own, together they start to feel like pieces of the same puzzle. That’s where things shift. What began as separate bits of information starts to feel structured. And once something feels structured, it also starts to feel more believable. Not necessarily because it’s accurate, but because it makes sense.

When uncertainty demands answers

Not all moments are equally likely to trigger these kinds of explanations. Conspiracy beliefs tend to become more appealing when the world feels uncertain. Think back to moments like the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Information was changing quickly, experts didn’t always agree, and many questions didn’t have clear answers yet. In situations like this, it’s not just about what is true, it’s about what feels understandable. When events feel unpredictable or difficult to grasp, we naturally look for explanations that restore a sense of clarity. This reflects a need for control, where people are naturally drawn to explanations that make the world feel more structured and less random.

Conspiracy theories often provide exactly that. They offer a clear story, a cause, and often a group to blame. Compared to explanations that are still evolving or incomplete, this can feel more satisfying. Even if the explanation is not accurate, it reduces uncertainty and creates a sense that events are understandable rather than chaotic.

Why repetition starts to feel like truth

Once an idea starts to feel plausible, it rarely stays neutral. You begin to notice it more. It shows up again, maybe in a different video, a comment or a thread, and suddenly it feels like it’s everywhere. This is where things start to shift. We naturally pay more attention to information that fits with what we already suspect, while contradictory information is easier to overlook or dismiss. Over time, this creates the impression that the same conclusion keeps presenting itself, even when we’re only seeing a selective part of the picture – a process known as confirmation bias. Part of this process can be explained by online environments, which amplify the effects of repeated exposure. If you interact with a piece of content, then platforms and their algorithms are likely to show you more of the same. As a result, similar messages may appear closely after one another, reinforcing the sense that they are connected.

Familiarity plays a key role here. The more often we encounter a claim, the more natural it begins to feel. You aren’t necessarily convinced all at once. It’s more gradual. Something that initially seemed unlikely starts to feel plausible, simply because you’ve seen it so many times. This is captured by the illusory truth effect, where repeated exposure increases the likelihood that something is perceived as true.

It's easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as irrational, but when you look at how they actually form, the picture becomes more nuanced. The tendency to look for patterns, prefer clear explanations, and rely on familiar information isn’t unusual: it’s how we all make sense of the world. In fast-moving information environments, these processes can make certain narratives seem surprisingly convincing, simply because they feel coherent and familiar. Maybe in this case, familiarity doesn’t breed contempt – it breeds belief.