A quarter-century after September 11, psychologists are still asking why some people find more comfort in shadowed explanations than in uncertain truths. Research emerging in 2026 confirms what many suspected: conspiracy beliefs offer a momentary sense of order and belonging, but over time they tend to deepen anxiety rather than dissolve it. The human need to name chaos is ancient and understandable — yet the frameworks we reach for in desperation do not always hold the weight we place on them.