be taken, albeit with difficulty, to counter that crippled epistemology. On another level, however, many contemporary conspiracy theories also reflect a deep cynicism toward, and diminished faith in, governance (Goldberg, 2004). For example, the finding that almost a quarter of British Muslims believe that the four men blamed for the London bombings did not carry out the attacks (Soni, 2007) reflects, in part at least, the alienation of many British Muslims from mainstream politics and governance. A first and important step in tackling potentially harmful conspiracy theories would be to address such causes of popular discontent.For scholars, there remain several neglected individual difference variables, including just-world beliefs, locus of control, subjective happiness, and possibly even paranormal beliefs. It may also prove useful to distinguish between beliefs that reflect political paranoia in the traditional sense, and political realism. In doing so, it will be important for scholars to drop the assumption that all conspiracy theories are equally unbelievable. Only by evaluating and understanding both the context of the explanation and the effects of the explanation (Waters, 1997, p.123) will we appreciate to what extent conspiracy theories reflect everyday cognitions.Viren Swami is in the Department of Psychology at the University of Westminster v.swami@wmin.ac.ukRebecca Coles is in the Department of Psychology at the University of WestminsterReferencesAbalakina-Paap, M., Stephan, W.G. et al. (1999). Beliefs in conspiracies. Political Psychology, 20, 637647. Bale, J.M. (2007). Political paranoia v. political realism. Patterns of Prejudice, 41, 4560. Bird, S.T. & Bogart, L.M. (2003). Birth control conspiracy beliefs, perceived discrimination, and contraception among African Americans. Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 263276. Bogart, L.M. & Thorburn, S.T. (2006). Relationship of African Americans sociodemographic characteristics to belief in conspiracies about HIV/AIDS and birth control. Journal of the National Medical Association, 98, 11441150. Butler, L.D., Koopman, C. & Zimbardo, P.G. (1995). The psychological impact of the film JFK. Political Psychology, 16, 237257. Clarke, S. (2002). Conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorizing. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 32, 131150. Combs, D.R., Penn, D.L. & Fenigstein, A. (2002). Ethnic differences in subclinical paranoia. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 8, 248256. Davis, D.B. (1969). The slave power conspiracy and the paranoid style. Baton Rouge, FL: Louisiana State University Press. Douglas, K.M. & Sutton, R.M. (2008). The hidden impact of conspiracy theories: Perceived and actual influence of theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Journal of Social Psychology, 148, 210221. Edelman, M. (1985). The symbolic use of politics (2nd edn). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. Fenster, M. (1999). Conspiracy theories: Secrecy and power in American culture. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Evanston, IL: Row & Peterson. Gentzkow, M.A. & Shapiro, J.M. (2004). Media, education, and anti-Americanism in the Muslim world. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18, 117133. Goertzel, T. (1994). Belief in conspiracy theories. Political Psychology, 15, 731742. Goldberg, R.A. (2004). Who profited from the crime? Intelligence and National Security, 19, 249261. Groh, D. (1987). The temptation of conspiracy theory, or: Why do bad things happen to good people? In C. F. Graumann & S. Moscovici (Eds.) Changing conceptions