Are you familiar with pronoia?

If you’re like most people then you’ve probably never heard of it. However, I’m quite sure that you’ve heard of its sibling paranoia.

One of the definitions of paranoia is that it’s a thought process that causes you to have an irrational suspicion or mistrust of others. Essentially you go through life thinking that people and in some cases situations are against you or out to get you. If you ask me, being paranoid sounds like a terrible way to live.

Pronoia, on the other hand, is just the opposite. The definition of pronoia is the positive counterpart of paranoia. It is the delusion that others think well of one. Actions and the products of one’s efforts are thought to be well received and praised by others. A person experiencing pronoia feels that the world around them conspires to do them good. I don’t know about you, but just reading that makes me feel good.

Now I’m not advocating that you go through life with a quixotic viewpoint thinking that you’ll never experience any challenges or obstacles. What I am suggesting is that you adopt an attitude and perspective that people and situations are collaborating to work on your behalf and not against you.

You’ve probably heard the old adage, you’ll see it when you believe it, so here’s a great opportunity to give it a shot. Experiment with pronoia for a few days and see how you feel. If at the end of the experiment you don’t feel any different then you always can go back to your status quo, but if you do then you might make space for the other sibling to move in.   

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it please share it with one person you love.