Okay, I admit it. Conspiracy theories dupped me. I loved listening to talk radio in the 1990s and early 2000s. I would call myself a social liberal but a fiscal conservative. I desire to help others, and I felt like the government was doing a lousy job of that.I felt that way because I was listening to talk radio. At that time, the predominant voices were very conservative. Those voices told a story of conspiracy, and as I listened, I fell into a conspiracy bias.I also fell for conspiracy bias because I was under a lot of stress. I was looking to be reassured and comforted. I fell into the manipulation for support.A conspiracy bias is especially relevant to people who feel stressed and ashamed. When we feel stress or shame, our brains are attracted to stories that relieve us of those emotions.Stress is sometimes helpful because it helps us change our behavior or employ our energy to solve a problem. When we are overstressed, we move into fight-or-flight mode, which is generally unproductive.Shame is a most unhelpful emotion because it attacks our identity, not our behavior. We may feel falsely accused. Being ashamed may…