Signs of Healthy Skepticism

A healthy skeptic:

• Asks for evidence before accepting claims
• Considers alternative explanations for surprising findings
• Trusts scientific consensus while acknowledging it can evolve
• Changes their mind when shown strong counter-evidence
• Applies skepticism equally — to claims they like and claims they dislike

That last point matters most. Many conspiracy theories thrive in the gap between "not yet proven" and "disproven." The absence of evidence is not evidence of a cover-up.