14 DAY TRIAL // A group of investigators at the Washington State University conducted a new study on social dynamics during holidays, based on anecdotal evidence that family members who come together for Christmas tend to push each other's buttons more than ever. The team indeed found that paranoia was more likely to come out during this time of the year.
People with naturally-high levels of relational aggression, which deals specifically with social situations rather than physical violence, are more predisposed to interpret even honest mistakes as a direct affront to them or their well-being. This cognitive process goes on in the unconscious mind.
Past studies failed to identify this connection most likely because researchers rely on test subjects to self-report hostile cognitions. Understandably, many of the participants may have overlooked certain types of behaviors that could have potentially made them look bad, Science Blog reports.