One of my professors at John Jay (wish I could remember his name) described this type of situation. People who have (or have learned to develop) situational awareness notice small patterns in their environment, and then they anticipate potential future outcomes from those cues. It is not paranoia, even if the rustling grass is not a hungry lioness, the gazelle did well to move away.
On the street we occasionally busted storefront 'psycics' who preyed upon extraordinarily superstitious and ignorant clients (not that I am judging.) Many were just con artists and neer-do-wells, but those who stuck around year after year were mostly just entrepreneurial folks who understood their client's superstitions and had a better than average (which is to say phenomenal compared to thier clients) ability to read these little patterns and translate them into moron.
So if you are in a position of vulnerability, and you feel that tingle, you are psychic (at least in the Flatbush Ave sense), and even if its not a clear and present danger, you are not paranoid.
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Certified Curmudgeon
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