Psychologists weigh in
that China might be using balloon delivery systems to deploy electromagnetic pulse weapons that would knock out the U.S. power grid.
All of those sources of suspicion and paranoia were effectively invisible. The spy balloon isn’t—and while the public response has been more measured than that of some of the news media, people are still troubled. Other Americans seem to be taking a pragmatic approach that echoes Patel’s. “We’ve been in such a dystopian fear state for such a prolonged period, I am personally unable to add an additional fear to my mental load,” says Sharon Feingold, an Atlanta-based voiceover artist. “Whether those balloons are aliens or signify an impending war with China, I’ve given up. I’m both highly sensitized and desensitized at once.
For a lot of people, however, things that can’t be personally controlled are precisely what cause the greatest anxiety. “To be paranoid, you have to have a good imagination,” says Behrend. “You have to be able to imagine scenarios other than what’s right in front of your face. From person to person, there are going to be individual differences in terms of whether they allow their imaginations to run wild or whether they use their critical-thinking skills.
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