Materialist or skeptical views are also comfort food for the mind, though. It's just comfort for a mind that's differently tuned.

These beliefs project a very basic, easily understood view of reality - discount vast amounts of difficult or inconvenient experiential data which has been with mankind since the beginning (ETs, visions, dreams, ghosts, the paranormal, faith healing, synchronicities, etc.) - and papers over a variety of huge and fundamental questions (origins, purpose, life after death, etc) with a very solid, tangible, and pat answer.

People who are deep into materialism will also see materialism everywhere, so the effect also happens that you mentioned with your grandmother.