Benjamin Ashford|Amelia Earhart's plane may have been found. Why are we obsessed with unsolved mysteries?

Are we finally going to find out what happened to Amelia Earhart?Benjamin Ashford

Maybe − but experts say a better question might be why her mysterious disappearance continues to loom large in our psyches all these decades later.

Earhart famously disappeared along with her aircraft 86 years ago while attempting to become the first woman to complete a circumnavigation flight around the globe. Now that a South Carolina ocean exploration company says it's captured a sonar image in the Pacific Ocean that "appears to be Earhart's Lockheed 10-E Electra" aircraft, one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century may finally be getting some answers.

Experts say the longing for closure to Earhart's story speaks not only to our culture's obsession with unsolved mysteries, but also to the hopes and dreams Earhart has come to represent.

"So many emotions get evoked from any sort of mystery, but this one in particular, I think there's that extra layer of fascination and curiosity and maybe some excitement, because we were really hoping that Amelia would be successful," says Amy Morin, a psychotherapist, author and host of the podcast "Mentally Stronger." "But then, there's that fear of, 'Oh, how awful that must have been.' "

Amelia Earhart and our obsession with mysterious deaths

Earhart broke several records for women and pilots and became a household name during her life. Her disappearance spawned books, documentaries, investigations and plenty of conspiracy theories.

Where did she crash? What happened to her plane? Could she somehow still be alive? All these unanswered questions and more have only added to the intrigue.

"People just really like to go down those routes too of letting your imagination explore all the different things that could have happened or who is involved," Morin says. "And I think that adds another layer of mystery."

This is because death is an ever-present anxiety in the backs of people's minds. The idea that a death can be random or unexplained terrifies us; so, when we see people finally get answers to mysterious deaths, it gives us a sense of control over our own mortality.

"Death is the ultimate mystery, and death makes us feel out of control, and we'd like to have answers," says David Kessler, a grief specialist and the founder of grief.com. "We always want autopsies, and we want to know why someone died, and we want to feel like we figured it out, because, the more we figure it out, the safer we feel in this world."

How did Amelia Earhart die?Here’s what researchers think happened to the famed pilot.

This is also why, in the absence of answers, we try to explain away mysteries with conspiracy theories, such as in the case of Earhart.

"We look for those reasons, rather than just assuming something was random or something happened because of chance," Morin says. "We think if we can connect these different dots, then I guess somehow I feel safer again. ... We don't really like things that are random."

What does Amelia Earhart mean to us?

The mysterious disappearance of Earhart also resonates because of what her legacy has come to mean.

Kessler says Earhart, in attempting to do the seemingly impossible, represents "the courage we wish we had." Because of this, people want to know what happened to her.

"So many people that have become iconic, they often died too young and in midlife and before their time," Kessler says. "Those types of deaths really fascinate us. So you mix someone dying before their time, along with we don't have all the details, and that makes for a never-ending story."

Plus, as a female trailblazer in a field where women remain underrepresented, Earhart has also come to symbolize the underdog, Morin says.

Was Earhart's missing plane found?An ocean exploration company offers new clues

We tend to root for underdogs, and as a result, many people have held onto hope that, somehow, Earhart may have escaped a tragic demise.

"Most people knew it probably didn't end well," Morin says. "There's still that fascination of, but what if it did? And I think that makes people sort of cheer her on or really want to know what could have happened."

No matter what answers we find to Earhart's disappearance, Morin says the pilot's legacy will continue to serves as a source of inspiration.

"At the time, nobody thought a woman could do this, and yet here she was willing to take that step," Morin says. "She was willing to be brave. She didn't care that so many people doubted her, but she put herself out there and tried anyway."

Why it's taken so long to solve:The mystery of Amelia Earhart has tantalized for 86 years