The bad news in the financial papers, from the sub-prime crisis and zooming oil prices to fears of inflation in India, share a common factor: paranoia.
Paranoia magnifies the effects of each, leading to, for instance, panic selling of securities and stockpiling of commodities. Economists rush to proclaim recession, and opposition politicians to stoke fears. Consumers lose confidence and begin to worry about the future.
For most of us, however, our private fears have little impact on the world's wealth. But they can dominate our daily lives. Many of us experience acute anxiety in a variety of situations.
That sidelong glance from a passerby, the furtive hand-movement, the mocking laughter from the corner of a crowded room
