The surprising benefits of mild paranoia – and how to keep it in check

Psychologists are building a new understanding of paranoia.This led to the idea that this state evolved because it sometimes has practical benefits

To Kate Sukel

JAMES TILLEY MATTHEWS FEARED THE AIR LOOM GANG. In 1797, he claimed that this mysterious group of rogues could use kites to control his thoughts and manipulate “magnetic fluids” to make him smile. The gang was a figment of his imagination, but Matthews’ claims of being persecuted led him to a mental hospital in London. Today, many researchers suspect he may be schizophrenic. For the next 200 years, the general assumption was that paranoia like that experienced by Matthews was a symptom of a serious mental health condition. But now attitudes are changing.

Research over the past two decades has revealed that paranoia is not restricted to a subset of people diagnosed with schizophrenia or similar conditions. Some researchers have argued that there is actually a spectrum of paranoia, and perhaps one in six of us she could fall somewhere on that. Even more surprisingly, as covid-19 spread around the world, the number of people prone to paranoid thinking increased.

Findings like this have led psychologists to revisit paranoia, including its overlaps with conspiracy theories such as QAnon. This research has led to the intriguing idea that, far from being undesirable, mild paranoia is an evolved condition that may have favored our ancestors. This research also brought us closer to figuring out why we end up on the paranoia spectrum.