: What is situational awareness? Is it equivalent to being paranoid about surrounding?
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It can mean a few things that vary ever so slightly depending on context.
In a real life sense it can mean to pay attention to your surroundings. For example, being aware of the exits, should you need them. Knowing which people may cause issues in said area.
In a gaming sense it means to be aware of all the elements going on. For example in a fighting game that would be being constantly aware of your health, your opponents health, special meters, how much time is remaining in the round, etc.
Essentially it boils down to being aware of and making conscientious decisions based on all of the elements of your current “situation”.
Literally being aware of your surroundings.
For example, an elite quarterback has better situational awareness than you or I on the field. They can percieve the smallest movements and understand the repercussions.
Now imagine a trained soldier. They’re always looking to take in as much information as possible in a situation so if a firefight breaks out they’re ready. They’re aware of their situation.
For most people, it is less extreme, but the concept holds true.
Paranoia implies some degree of irrational fear or concern and that actually works against situational awareness. Situational awareness implies detailed observation and cool headed assessment. This leads to better decision making.
Someone who is paranoid starts to imagine things or does sort of a worst case analysis. While it is useful to be safe and not underestimate how badly things can go wrong, overcompensating by projecting your fears leads to poorer and less optimal decision making.
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