2.3.3. Negative Emotions
According to Whitson et al. ([50], p. 89), emotions that reflect uncertainty about the world (e.g., worry, surprise, fear, or hope) activate the need to imbue the world with order and structure across a wide range of compensatory measures, such as believing conspiracy theories, more so than other emotions (e.g., anger, happiness, disgust, or contentment) do. Van Prooijen et al. [51] propose that conspiracy theories are emotional; negative emotions rather than rational deliberations cause conspiracy beliefs. This insight is based on the argument that unpleasant emotional experiences increase sense-making motivations [52].
Several empirical studies support the emotional attributes of beliefs in conspiracy theories. Butler et al. [53] examine the emotional effects of viewing the film JFK on moviegoing audiences and find that it impacts viewers’ emotions, beliefs, and judgments, particularly regarding the themes and persuasive message of the film. However, the film does not influence viewers’ general political judgments or perceptions of conspiracies in their lives. Whitson et al. [54] demonstrate that experiencing uncertain emotions causes people to embrace conspiracies.
Hypothesis 8 (H8).   Negative emotions are positively related to beliefs in conspiracy theories.