Title: Why Do I Feel Like I’m Being Watched? This Is The Scientific Reason For Paranoia
Headings: If You Feel Like You’re Always Being Watched, There’s A Scientific Reason Why
If You Feel Like You’re Always Being Watched, There’s A Scientific Reason Why
Normal Paranoia Likely Developed To Help Us Survive

Content: Normal" paranoia, a sense that somebody might be out to get you, is, according to this theory, a product of an evolved threat-detection system, and when that system goes haywire, more extreme paranoia results. The extent of mild paranoia in the general population gives some insight into how it can actually be practical. A 2013 study of 8580 British people to identify paranoid thoughts found that a full 20-30 percent of the population recorded thoughts that fit on the "normal" end of the paranoid scale, including: "A consciousness of a lack of assertiveness, worries over social inferiority, worries over criticism by others, feelings that people were generally against the respondent and might use or hurt them, and a reluctance to reveal too much in case people used it in adverse ways. Ideas of reference involving the detection of hidden threats or insults were almost as common. A sixth of the population spent a lot of time wondering whether they could trust their friends or work colleagues." Most people would regard these as pretty average fears and concerns about the intentions and thoughts of others. As paranoid ideas became more extreme — worries that friends were actively watching them, beliefs that strangers were talking about them, and finally the unshakeable conviction that known or unknown forces were out to hurt them — the number of people who ticked "yes" got smaller and smaller. In those people, evolutionary strategy had given way to a more serious problem. If you feel like your paranoia has gotten in the way of your day-to-day life, you should speak to a mental health care professional or primary care physician about potential ways to manage it.