In the second of our two-part series on conspiracy theories, Tom and D turn from how these ideas spread to something even more fundamental: Why do they feel so compelling in the first place—even when the evidence doesn’t hold up?

We sit down with Dr. Ricky Green, a social psychologist at the University of Kent who studies the psychology and consequences of conspiracy theories, to look at what’s happening beneath the belief itself.

Why are some people more susceptible than others? What roles do uncertainty, anxiety, trust, intuition and our need to make sense of the world play? And once a belief takes hold, why can contrary evidence sometimes cause someone to double down rather than reconsider?

The conversation also gets into Ricky’s fascinating research on attachment anxiety and catastrophizing, our tendency to see patterns where none exist, how conspiracy beliefs can affect friendships and romantic relationships—and even what happens when conspiracy theories show up in online dating profiles.

It’s a conversation about conspiracy theories, but also something much broader: how all of us decide what’s true, how easily we can become certain about something that isn’t, and why sometimes the healthiest answer may simply be, “I don’t know.”

Why do conspiracy theories have such a powerful hold on us—and why are even smart, educated people susceptible to them?

In this episode of Tom and D, we talk with journalist and author Mike Rothschild, an expert on conspiracy theories, misinformation and internet culture. Mike takes us inside the psychology of conspiratorial thinking, from our natural tendency to find patterns and explanations in chaos to the role fear, grievance and uncertainty can play in pulling people down the rabbit hole.

We also look at how social media algorithms and online influencers can turn curiosity into something much more extreme, why misinformation can have very real consequences offline, and where healthy skepticism crosses the line into believing things simply because we want them to be true.

Mike also shares what he’s learned from years studying QAnon and other conspiracy movements, his work involving Congress and the January 6 Committee, and his book Jewish Space Lasers, which explores the long history of conspiracy theories surrounding the Rothschild family.

Ultimately, the conversation isn't just about why other people believe strange things. It's about all of us—and how we can stay curious without becoming cynical, skeptical without becoming suspicious of everything, and open-minded without believing everything we hear.

We got him! Josiah Hesse—journalist, author, and a guy who’s lived through some things most people only read about.

We get into his books, including Runner’s High—a deep dive into the hidden culture of cannabis use among elite athletes and the emerging science behind the elusive, exhilarating “runner’s high” they’re all chasing—and his latest, On Fire for God… a brutally honest memoir about growing up in rural Iowa inside the world of fundamentalist Christianity, where faith, fear, poverty, and politics all collide in ways that are hard to fully understand unless you’ve been there—or read his story.

So yeah… we went there. And touched the third rail: religion, politics… and cannabis.

It’s real, it’s thoughtful, it’s surprisingly funny—and it lives right in that messy space where all of these worlds overlap.

This is a must-listen episode—one that might challenge you a little, and stick with you longer than you expect.