mental health condition. However, a new study from Yale University in New Haven, CT, suggests that paranoia may also be a response to confusing circumstances.According to the researchers, an environment of unexpected uncertainty can promote paranoia in people who do not otherwise exhibit the trait.Doctors consider paranoia as an inability to comprehend social cues and, in particular, threats.
However, the new study takes a more mechanistic view of the conditions that can trigger it.“We think of the brain as a prediction machine; unexpected change, whether social or not, may constitute a type of threat — it limits the brain’s ability to make predictions.