If you had to pick then would you rather be seen as overly naive or overly paranoid? I know both have their cons since being too naive can allow people to walk over you while being too paranoid could have people tiptoeing around you. If you're too naive then people will think you're too oblivious to notice what's going on and people will believe they can truly walk over you without repercussions as well as calling you stupid behind your back. I've heard people say stuff like that about others who are very naive and have heard that said about me too when I used to be way more oblivious.

Being overly paranoid may prevent people from walking over you since they know you're aware of what's happening but the same time they may be more likely to shy away from you. I know they both have their cons but sometimes it's about choosing your battles and I think I would prefer people to see me as more paranoid than very naive. The problem is I wouldn't want people to see me as a loose cannon which some people who are extremely irrationally paranoid to the point where it's disruptive to their everyday lives tend to do and I've seen that happen as well. Just wondered what your thoughts are on this and I know that it can be hard to decide since both scenarios are bad.