What do you understand by the “Smoke Detector Principle” in psychology?

The Smoke Detector Principle refers to the idea that the human brain is designed to be paranoid by nature and it acts as a natural defence mechanism for protection against any threat to its survival chances. Defences such as fighting, coughing, stress, etc. are usually expressed to a certain degree which is nearly optimum for protection against a possible threat. Many models which are based on these principles suggest that it is important for making decisions in life.

Topics: GS-IV: Ethics and Human Interface