Anxiety evolved to help us - what went wrong? A neuroscientist explains. | Wendy Suzuki

Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki explains why zero anxiety isn’t the goal.
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Anxiety is a feature of evolution, not a bug. That doesn’t make it less uncomfortable, though. The good news is that we can harness it to our benefit, says Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist and the author of "Good Anxiety." By tapping into what she calls the six “superpowers” of anxiety, we can redirect these uncomfortable feelings into positive outcomes.
Suzuki explains the neurological root of anxiety, including how the amygdala automatically activates when we are scared or stressed. To make matters worse, the prefrontal cortex - the rational, executive function center of the brain - shuts down when we need it most.
But we’re not powerless against our brain, and there are techniques we can use, like cognitive flexibility, to make our anxiety work for us.
Read the video transcript ► bigthink.com/series/explain-i...
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About Wendy Suzuki:
Dr. Wendy A. Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University. She received her undergraduate degree in Physiology and Human Anatomy at the University of California, Berkeley in 1987, studying with Prof. Marion C. Diamond, a leader in the field of brain plasticity. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from U.C. San Diego in 1993 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health before accepting her faculty position at New York University in 1998. Dr. Suzuki is author of the book Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program to Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better.
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Read more of our stories on anxiety:
Scientists discover an “anxiety gene” in the brain - and a natural way to turn it off
►bigthink.com/neuropsych/anxie...
There is now a blood test for anxiety disorders
► bigthink.com/health/anxiety-b...
How fear gets “stuck” in the brain
►bigthink.com/neuropsych/fear-...
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[@DangerAmbrose]

I evolved to have anxiety because of lions and tigers and bears but now I live in an unnatural environment where society places unnecessary stress on me because it needs me to behave in abnormal ways to support a system run by elites so they can be billionaires. Now my anxiety is considered a mental illness because everyone is afraid to acknowledge this reality.

[@missnellie33]

Amen

[@ItsMyQuantMyQuantitative]

Invoices are the predators of today.

[@shineon651]

👏👏👏💯‼️ #1 comment of the day! 👍👍 Finally ✌️

[@robertdouglas8895]

You have nature deficit disorder and need to get back with lion, tigers and bears and remember they are your friends. Then you can realize that no one is manipulating your world, not even billionaires, except yourself. Put it in God's hands and everything will turn out fine.

[@Zephyrsag]

Right on

[@juangomez2014]

I remember a day I felt so depressed, so anxious, so sad, everything was going bad, that I decided just go for a walk around my neighborhood. I was walking when an old man smiled at me and said “have a nice day!”. I don’t know why but that smile and words changed my day, my week, and I still remember that. That helped me a lot. So small act

[@oneegiiie1490]

Wow… it’s such a magical feeling

[@rebeccas3786]

Try live in North Korea, the real issue has always been concentration of power

[@satyamsingh4653]

Pass it on 😊

[@SaviourHailey]

Dude ships all psych products swiftly, dmt, Mushrooms, lsd, edibles, cannabis and other dope psycy products well treated ☑☑

[@SaviourHailey]

On In$tagram or telegram..... ☑

[@patricklynch9048]

Hey fellow anxiety person reading this. dont forget to take a nice deep breath and remember that anxiety lies, like a lot. love you.

[@risk5riskmks93]

Love you too, friend. Thank you for the kindness you bring to the world

[@dadoll1660]

thank you! badly need this.

[@oysterbay1694]

​@risk5riskmks93 😂😂😂

[@pfb74]

Love you bro

[@drghadaroshdy2811]

❤️🙏

[@elizabethwilliams6651]

Psilocybin saved my life. I was addicted to heroin for 15 years and after Psilocybin treatment I will be 3 years clean in September. I have zero cravings. This is something that truly needs to be more broadly used in addiction treatment.

[@rajaaminu]

Psychedelics definitely have potential to deal with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, I would like to give them a try but haven't found any legit grower to get it.

[@eddiejohn8506]

@@rajaaminuYes, dr.sporesss

[@Jennifer-bw7ku]

A lot of people have testified about this and I really want to give it a shot. I put so much on my plate and it definitely affects my stress and anxiety levels

[@rajaaminu]

@@eddiejohn8506Is he on instagram?

[@twinfred3160]

The Trips I've been having have really helped me a lot,I finally feel in control of my emotions and my future and things that used to be mundane to me now seem incredible and full of nuance on top of that I'm way less driven by my ego and I have alot more empathy as well

[@AriaTheDisciple]

I was diagnosed at 13 with anxiety disorder and now a decade later it is no longer a valid diagnosis. I thankfully managed to get rid of my anxiety and temper it to normal, healthy levels within appropriate situations. Anxiety to me was the constant projecting of myself into an uncertain future. There is nothing wrong with this but then once you're back in the present moment you feel existential dread because of this almost time warp you've done. The key thing to fix this anxiety is a radical shift in mindset and break your path down into small steps that can be achieved daily. If you take on the whole world at once it seems like a monumental feat, however taking an island at a day and you'll be there in no time.

[@artandexploration476]

Anxiety for me is a calling to move and accomplish my goals. It's telling me to do more and work harder. If I work harder and work towards my goals then my anxiety disappears. If I fight the feeling and focus on the anxiety and don't get into motion then the anxiety takes over and multiplies the more inactive I am.

[@APokeInTheEye]

Same here!! Stay focused!💪💯

[@woolfpack4497]

That sounds like a healthy and normal level of Anxiety. Congratulations!

[@afonsocarvalho2695]

same here man!! is like our body warning that something's not right

[@TLSH12]

I think the issue is that people feel anxious about uncontrollable or completely false narratives, meaning there is no "move" to make(or at least not a clear move). Social media is a great example for both

[@tanmay1306]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🧠 Brain plasticity allows the brain to change in response to the environment. 00:29 🌊 Anxiety is a normal human emotion evolved to protect us. 01:00 🔥 High stress activates amygdala and impairs prefrontal cortex. 02:06 ☠️ 'Negativity bias' leads to focusing on negatives during stress. 02:34 🔄 'Cognitive flexibility' helps approach situations from different angles. 03:33 ✅ Transform anxiety into productivity by turning 'what if' into 'to-do.' 04:30 🌌 Anxiety can reduce flow, but 'micro flow' moments can still exist. 05:30 🤝 Empathy is a superpower to help others dealing with familiar anxiety. 06:04 🌟 An 'activist mindset' embraces flexibility and multiple perspectives. 07:00 💔 Loss can be a catalyst for an activist mindset in addressing anxiety. Made with HARPA AI

[@cheeks7050]

thanks

[@ahmadarif8224]

thank you

[@rijd2304]

People assume anxiety is having a lot of worry and nervousness, but at its core it's our fight-flight-or-freeze survival response conditioned to react to thoughts that are unnecessary for our immediate survival. We are programmed from childhood to think we need to "do this" or "look like this" or "accomplish that" or "be this"...etc...and then our brains begin to think that those expectations and demands are necessary for our survival, which they are not. Healthy anxiety is when we need to find clean water, shelter, food to sustain ourselves, to get away from enemies trying to take our village, etc. Mindfulness helped me understand that my anxious thoughts were merely thoughts, nothing more. The book "30 Days to Reduce Anxiety" by Harper Daniels was a starting point for me, and then I read books like The Power of Now, and Awareness by Anthony de Mello. I like those books for helping retrain my brain.

[@marshallbeichner1687]

I don’t think there is necessarily a healthy anxiety. More like a healthy fear. Semantics

[@2MasterBuilder2]

A 'healthy fear' = excitement

[@Defirence]

There's definitely good and bad Anxiety, I've found meditation and mindfulness help those "dips" into being negative. You're spot on about it, it can be used not for those of us to suffer but to turn the tide and use it as a tool instead. I like to visualize it or describe it as a current or a river, you can't swim up against it or fight the flow, you have to just relax and let it take you through life with the good and bad. The old Chinese proverb mentioning "...today is the present, that is why it's called a gift" is also a good way to channel anxiety into betterment, and not an abyssal void you can possibly feel trapped in. EDIT:typo

[@InspiringKeynoteSpeakers]

Brilliant talk! Rethinking anxiety as strength, embracing 'what if?' moments for productivity, and fostering empathy through shared experiences-truly transformative.

[@FithriyaaniRashidi]

Notes 📌 Anxiety superpower : 1. Productivity: change the what ifs to to-do list for solutions 2. Flow: micro flow that makes you be in a focused psychological state (flow time in being focused) 3. Empathy : notice how others are feeling 4. Activist mindset : tool for cognitive flexibility in examining a lot of perspectives

[@madcooper82]

Does someone know here other parts from the book?

[@aprilpeters8620]

The financial anxiety is always there so that u can never feel secure. I feel like in America at least, a good deal of the anxiety could be cured if the government would stop letting these "too big to fail" corporations rob us and treat us like dirt. The consequences of one late payment can b devastating

[@Vvopat96]

yes we don't have that in Finland, there is no situation that you cannot make you rent for exp. goverment pays it if you can't. Housing is human right as America also has signed

[@Anonymoose66G]

@@Vvopat96 Finland's so good 😂. Do you see yourself staying in Finland? Also what cons would you say are there with living in Finland, I'm not talking about the climate/weather but real cons. I'll probably move to Norway or Iceland though.

[@Defirence]

@@Anonymoose66G From what I've seen and heard about Finland it's really an amazing, peaceful and stable country. My country is slowly falling apart and honestly apart from the rest of Europe I'd say Finland is the last country who actually care about people, possibly more countries out there but most just don't GAF at all sadly.

[@Anonymoose66G]

@@Defirence Finland, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland & Denmark too.

[@adempc]

She talks like she is the first one to discover these ideas on anxiety.. regardless, she is entirely correct. Embrace anxiety, listen to it.

[@xandercorp6175]

Anxiety is just physiological excitement with a habitual physically depressive response and habitual negative psychological assumptions attached to it. Do the work to uncouple these habits or be at the whims of your subconscious. My daughter says it was a gamechanger when I explained this to her.

[@w212.agency]

and what work would you recommend?

[@KittySnicker]

What I hate about anxiety is that it evolved to protect me from Lions but when I’m worried about something going wrong at work, shit may not hit the fan for weeks or months, and then the shit hits the fan after I’ve long calmed down from the threat. I just hate how the modern world has all these constant, looming, slow threats! Thankfully, my anxiety medication and mindfulness have both helped me weather the storms. But on the up side, anxiety does make me get my work done and I can lean into flow instead of feeling frantic and panicked.

[@SaviourHailey]

im using a bunch of psych substance for my medication

[@SaviourHailey]

on !n$tagrm

[@KittySnicker]

@@SaviourHailey huh? I’m medicated too

[@Julian-tf8nj]

Best book ever for anxiety, imo: "From Panic to Power" by Lucinda Bassett. Very CONCRETE small steps - unlike many programs (such as this video, sorry) that only offer broad and vague steps

[@SearchOfSelf]

Anxiety, the unexpected teacher. Finding growth opportunities in the midst of struggle is a perspective shift worth exploring. Thank you for the video! ❤

[@injailbitchh9915]

Anxiety for me is not being able to solve a science/maths problem in class, but ik i can solve it, i just get very anxious when its around people. Its as if im undermining myself.

[@big5astra]

What she is talking about is NOT anxiety. If you've ever had real anxiety, your whole body is likely to have the shakes, you are unable to sleep and you are really not able to function at all, you are going down the rabbit hole fast unless you get a grip on a feeling that is running away from you. What she is describing is a mild uneasiness related to what you should be achieving and doing about a situation that is not quite ideal for you. Very different. I thought she would have some great usable tips on handling real anxiety.

[@skippy7208]

Absolutely! It’s like people who have a minor headache and call it a migraine, which is a totally different thing. Real anxiety is extremely debilitating and makes ordinary life almost impossible. It feeds on itself. I hope you find something that helps 🙏

[@Rotwold]

What you're describing is the abnormal response where the anxiety paralyze your mind and body. Normal anxiety is fight or flight response, taking risks, trying to fit in with a new group or talking in front of a crowd. These feelings are not often contextualised, they happen in the moment and focusing on the anxiety is detrimental to function in these situations.

[@Rotwold]

I'm not saying you as a person are abnormal, but, the anxious state you described is not "real" anxiety. It's the type that inhibits you from functioning and would qualify for psychiatric assistance.

[@JasonJia11]

There are different types and levels of anxiety, what she's describing is day-to-day anxiety that everyone feels.

[@Maemae-ni1hm]

And what you're talking about is one of the worst possible effects of extreme cases of BAD ANXIETY. What she's talking about is GOOD ANXIETY. That means, good anxiety is a feeling wherein we feel uneasy and fearful about a certain situation but that anxiety could help us get through the situation that caused anxiety. If we fail to manage our anxiety in its mild forms then it could get worse leading to mental health problems.

[@evamkaushik5392]

"Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom" - Søren Kierkgaard

[@Tom-ahawk]

As someone with life-time anxiety, it has never once been a useful tool 🤣

[@91toinfinity]

Right?! 😂

[@Meow_meowwww]

I know right, it almost feels as if she doesn’t take it seriously

[@biomedphil]

Why does everything have to be framed as a super power? Anxiety is debilitating. What she describes is stress, which can help you mobilize. Ask her PhD students how much she cares about their anxiety and I might believe what she says. Very little science here, but great performance from her. I got the same feeling when she was on the Huberman podcast.

[@stacieanne2007]

Thank you for saying this, I came here to say the same thing myself. I really did appreciate Wendy’s words around point 4 and loss, but the rest of it felt very unrealistic, placed anxiety directly though rose tinted spectacles and ablest. There’s no way I would ever frame my anxiety as a super power, it’s taken so much from my life and the notion having to contend and practice the other points, while traversing though something so hard and encompassing either shows her version of anxiety looks very different to my own personal experience, or she’s never experienced the hell of a generalised anxiety disorder.

[@paulagranato]

She gives me cult-leader vibes

[@soumen_das]

I think of anxiety as my guard dog who grrs seeing an invisible man approaching.

[@invox9490]

I developed a strong anxiety after one of my neighbour played loud music until 3 am on a weekly basis and my parents saying it was fine, doing nothing and worse, preventing me from doing anything to avoid or counter it. It was pure torture for almost a full year... I still have panic attacks during the night sometimes. 😖

[@PositiveEnergy733]

Dear everyone, I wish you peace inside your soul. We are all light and all connected, don’t be scare, all gonna be ok. Your futur gonna be fantastic because you are fantastic. Thank you so much for your reading.

[@namngo6441]

Just want to review what i have learned: 1. Productivity: Turn that "What-if list" into a to do list 2. Micro flow 3. Empathy

[@birdie8085]

From an evolutionary perspective anxiety did help human survive, but from a person living in modern day i cant convince myself calling anxiety good.

[@marcelo1x1]

You have to change your mindset. The first time you try seeing the positive side of anxiety it will feel stupid. As time goes on, the more you confront you anxiety by DOING the things your anxiety urges you to do, you will realize at the end it helped. Anxiety remains, it’s up to you if you confront it and get something good of it, or letting it consume you.

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

​@@marcelo1x1which means you have never experienced how devastating anxiety can be. I would advise you to not tell people what they have to do to go against anxiety, it shows immaturity. If you want to help, listen to them otherwise focus on your own life.

[@marcelo1x1]

@@sonkeschmidt2027 I don’t know what do you mean by immature and “them”. What I meant is that having this mentality is key to overcome so many problems including anxiety even when you think it isn’t possible. I’m saying this because I was like you before and didn’t think changing my mindset would help.

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

@@marcelo1x1 telling someone with deep anxiety issues to change their mindset is like telling someone with a broken leg to just walk it off. That you want to be helpful doesn't mean that you are actually helping. It's nice that it did help you though.

[@jacobpaint]

I like a lot of what she says although I think another “superpower” might be in training that voice in your head (if you have one) to recognise whether your anxiety is coming from environmental influences or if it's caused by internal imbalances. If it's environmental then you can try to refer to ways in which you have trained yourself to work through things (as in much of what Wendy describes) but if it's internal then you have to evaluate how serious it is and whether you can work through it or if you need to wait for it to pass and perhaps think of ways that you can help that to happen (such as choosing appropriate foods and not allowing the anxiety to guide your eating/drinking choices). Wendy also says that we can use more empathy but I don't think that's true. Empathy isn't a good guide for how to live the most productively good life (yes, that will seem odd to many). Empathy is essential in making us feel the need to do good but our empathy often leads us toward doing the types of actions that make us feel good for doing them rather than the types of actions that do the most good for others. This is essentially what “effective altruism” is based around, the charities that do the most good for the most people are often not the types of charities that appeal to our sense of empathy. A lot of money is given to charities that only help one or two people because seeing those individual stories is what drives our feelings of empathy whereas helping thousands of people in a similar way won't have the same effect on us.

[@anamelikeothers]

Jacob, really interesting insights. Personally, I look at empathy differently, not from the perspective of doing an action because it creates positive feelings. For me, it is an automatic response that is deeply felt and unplanned. It may produce an action or not, but most likely it does. However, I don't see anything positive in it since I perceive it as an overcharge with pain that is felt on a similar level with the person suffering. When I am in a situation that i feel someone's pain as if it were mine, I feel the need to act, maybe because I want to relieve the suffering for me ( selfish reason in a way) as well for the person in question (often strangers). I still remember one particular super embarrassing moment when I was at the Animal Control paying for a tag when I witnessed this lady's emotional outburst that had me shedding uncontrollable tears. Connecting with her only made it worse for me. My inner voice was so logical at the time but the emotions i felt could not be tamed. I felt so stupid after I left. Lol Also I remember all the people i felt pain for along the years. It is almost like taking a random experience and internalizing it to various degrees. Anyways, yeah, the idea was that for me empathy is a trigger more than anything else and this is a personal statement because I do agree with everything you said.

[@UtraVioletDreams]

Anxiety, I don't know what that is. When I fail something I do it again. And if it does not suite me. Well then it's probably not for me. When someone is angry with me. Maybe they have a good reason for it! Or not. And then what is my opinion? Listen, love and think positive thoughts! That's all you need to do.

[@AliG_yogini]

Meditation helped me so much. Focus on your breathing and what that feels like in the body rather than focusing on the thoughts and everything else

[@nike5428]

Sometimes wish that never had anxiety, life would have been a lot eaiser and worry free - lot balanced and content. Its a long hard battle, wish there was a proper cure for all this suffering. Its not that anxiety is bad but excessive and untreated leads to so many other issues. I understand many of struggle but let's hope for the best.

[@aronz2039]

1.productivity 2.flow ( go with flow my friend quote) 3.empathy ( 4.activist mindset The important thing is try to get superpower from all kind of anxity. I think maybe peoples anxity is future life 🧬 i too have. But my favourite quote is go with flow❤..........

[@eggbenedict-gt7mw]

All garbage useless

[@nerd26373]

Anxiety seems to be pushing us down farther than we've ever been before. I too have anxiety, and it's one of the things that I've kinda just learned to embrace cause that's a part of me.

[@pedropierre9594]

Its because you’ve grown up giving it too much power, suppressing it is hard, but is a daily practice that will help you.

[@humayunbaloch1189]

Acceptance is key, I’ve “fought” of anxiety by accepting it lol it works i am ả completely different person now.

[@skiphoffenflaven8004]

Just say to yourself “it could always be worse”. Think of what people in the BCE-1800s went through, daily, the horrible ways they suffered and died. Think of those places on the Earth, today, where bombs are falling around them, on them, where women and girls are not allowed to exist equally. Now ask yourself: Do they experience moments of anxiety, and if so, for how long? What would an end to the horrific realities of their surroundings mean for them? Then return to yourself and think about your environment.

[@2600hz]

This is wonderful and just what I needed to hear today. I have anxiety superpowers

[@Rnankn]

I can’t help but understand this as psychology being led by ideology. Context matters, turning people into a market of instrumental labour upon which their survival depends is anxiety inducing. Transforming social bonds and reciprocity relationships into atomization of well-being, social isolation and social indifference, provokes anxiety. Living with a contradiction of economic participation that harms the biosphere upon which one depends for life is living with anxiety. Watching the world burn for the bottom line causes anxiety. Hacking your brain will not change the reality of insecurity, deprivation and destruction that characterize modern life. It may even help justify and perpetuate them.

[@kintsugidevs8387]

I don't know how I feel about this information all the things she listed can be done without anxiety on a more optimal level if the anxiety wasn't present.

[@richardluu8322]

It's all to common that people are addicted to cortisol or that "anxiety". I dont believe that it will give you flow. That same micro flow she talks about is closer to escapism, put aside all other things that are causing the anxiety to dive into the task.

[@jamic6351]

Well done Wendy Suzuki! This should be a video get well card sent to cheer someone ! Love the content, but the videography, beautiful scenes and people. I’ll watch again just to soak in the views. Thank you!

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

Done more optimally based on what? The point of anxiety is that you don't bite off more than you can chew, you have anxiety specifically to narrow down your options instead of chasing an ever Illusive optimum that you can't afford.

[@richardluu8322]

@@sonkeschmidt2027 I mean anxeity can come from a lot of things, your example, addiction, even crack babies with the waning pull for a mysterious substance or feeling they had but don't get anymore. I do believe that without the feeling of chaos, anxiety, a lot of things would be more optimal for a lot of people. whittle away at an optimum

[@BaponKar]

My fanda to reduce stress or anxiety: Happyness, sadness,tension, fear etc all are just creation by our brain with external impulses. I am the boss of my brain so I can tell my brain don't focus on negative thoughts but stay calm and positive and be happy just don't care what people say about me or what do I do in my life I am just happy with my own life don't compare anything else we all have capability just need to try and achieve it

[@strongmindstudio2.0]

Captain America: What is your superpower Me : Anxiety

[@hedgehogsdilemma2220]

reading the comment section, i remembered about when i first started learning English and i started to notice that anxiety, to English speakers, meant a specific diagnosis and disorder associated with the word, but in my mother tongue we use it more flexibly, to describe situations of great stress in general, like, the weeks before an important exam or when you're waiting for important medical results. the anxiety most people in the comments were thinking of is what we would call "clinical anxiety". i know it probably doesn't solve the disappointment, but maybe she's using the word like this (idk where she comes from or where she studied tho so i can't know, but. idk keep it in mind. she's not saying stupid stuff, she's just referring to a different thing)

[@nomadd27828]

Productivity - is one superpower. but for me anxiety does the opposite.I end up procrastinating when I am anxious :(

[@avonsternen6034]

Well organized vid! Timing and context make a difference: for example, if you are anxious before sleeping, it can effect sleep (quality, states, cycles, rhythms, duration) and thereby health and wellbeing. :)

[@satnamo]

Whoever had learnt how to be anxious in the right way had learnt the ultimate

[@Reverihealth]

A wonderful explanation on neuroplasticity. Thank you Wendy and Big Think. I would love to one day sit down with you to speak more about stress, anxiety and neuroplasticity. DS

[@cxa24]

You. It's always you who is going wrong

[@hgsgknnnmmlolb]

Food intake timing plays a major role in controlling anxiety

[@myraklek.1936]

We are involved by own anxiety, there is much of times reflexions then visual cortex after amygdale the brainstorm to find the keys. Formation naturel altruist.

[@hopaideia]

Drop by drop we are learning that fear, now anxiety, are part of the nature of the human being and we must know how to sublimate them. What will happen if we come to understand that social selection is also a process of natural origin that must be accepted and sublimated?

[@candycane3739]

I thought this would be more about diagnosable anxiety disorders and ways to cope, the title and thumbnail seems misleading because for people with anxiety disorders it's not that simple

[@babycakes4391]

I have anxiety and executive dysfunction, anxiety doesn't help me to be productive most of the time, it just makes me freak out and hate myself

[@justinmas299]

when we were prey anxiety kept us alive, now we have no preditors and anxiety has nothing better to do than create them.

[@gibbygibbygibby7237]

I have “what if’s”, but i also have more “I shouldn’t have’s” 😅 and those are worse and useless

[@mrpearson1230]

Love Big think! Please bring back Neil Degrasse Tyson. I would love a Big Think update from him! I got a whole KZbin playlist for just BT videos. Really glad you guys brought back Michelle Thaller & Janna Levin!!

[@91toinfinity]

I would prefer to be productive without the anxiety than with it, so a hard disagree that it's a gift.

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

You can't be productive without it though. What would be able to motivate to be productive? You can't have + without -

[@91toinfinity]

@sonkeschmidt2027 I know many people who don't live with anxiety and are very productive. They had parents that fostered that.

[@user-ki8pv6py9t]

My anxiety is a fear of death My anxiety is a fear of losing my close ones My anxiety a fear of losing a part of my body My anxiety is seeing the people in my mind who are not already in this world My anxiety is not a normal human emotion

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

I had to.learn to fight anxiety with impulsive action.

[@shineon651]

As long as you ponder first.

[@philipbaldassini9528]

Now I want to read her book. I have had situation anxiety, as well as Test anxiety, when. You do bad on a test the inevitable cycle of thinking your dumb becomes evident more and more..

[@scottyg5403]

Yeah I'm not sure anxiety needs to be felt to be productive. Most anxiety is the mind focused on past and future. I recommend The Power of Now to explain this further. And as far as Flow, that is achieved only through hard practice to then reach that flow state. You gotta put in the work! Just my opinion.

[@Psysium]

I hope the superpower cognitive reframe helps some people, truly, but it feels invalidating to me personally. Having contamination specific OCD prevents me from hugging my loved ones. That's not a superpower, it just sucks.

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

Still I haven't found any other way than such mental reframes in order to detach from the anxiety. Because what else are you going to do? If you have found another way out of it then that's great. I don't know why other way than this. Reframing and dissolving my mindset piece by piece.

[@pplicata_1234]

I resonate with your feelings. Anxiety can feel debilitating --leaving you frozen (trauma response) and without hope... Perhaps her intention was to use science to inspire 🧬🤓💖 -not to minimize your experience... Considering that scientific discoveries continue to astound us, especially advancements made in the fields of epigenetics and mind-body therapeutics, my interpretation is that she wants us to not give up hope on the possibility of discovering a supportive solution. 🎉🎁

[@catmonarchist8920]

Anxiety for me is completely randomly being numb and uncoordinated in the hands, feet, throat , and face until I find a way to physically obstruct my breathing with some kind of object to object to bring the CO2 levels up. I don't see how it is evolutionarily advantageous.

[@hereforthememories7596]

What if I am already aware of he powers anxiety has and have already acquired them unconsciously, and I'm just really tired of it - of the heart beating fast, of the worrying, of the unknown occurrences of it. How can I overcome this?

[@petermartin5030]

Are the bodily effects of anxiety maybe identical to those of excitement?

[@marekkazimierczak9210]

In the case of "we all have it", I have heard that Psychopaths don't feel anxiety at all I don't know if it's true but it's making me anxious

[@jiiig8667]

Easy question to answer.. What went wrong? Perscription drugs and the mass manufacture and consumption of pharmaceuticals. ❤

[@Bodyknowledge77]

Fear which goes with anxiety is the friend that can push and possibly/definitely protect you. Don't be a total wimp though! 🙂

[@yuhuiw1475]

What a beautiful message. Keep up the great work!

[@MichelleCarithersAuthor]

love this!

[@Bellaa4578]

Hell yeah on empathy. Jesus Christ. I’ll never forget the time when someone sat next to me on the bus and was displaying discomfort. I asked if he was OK and he said he had a migraine (which sucks) but he said it was helpful that I chatted with him because it helped time on the bus go by faster. I’ve had countless panic attacks in public and I do wish folks would ask if I’m OK. Typically when I have a panic attack, I’m afraid I’ll pass out or feel sick - just knowing someone is there / be a distraction is super helpful. If you seem someone struggling, please always ask first before trying to help or distract as we are all different.

[@boutheina2734]

train ur mind through animal habit formation. anxiety+++ productivity flow empathy

[@Electrojuan8]

Sencillamente espectacular. Muchas gracias ❤

[@nishantgoura2871]

Vibes of waves to trying here to elevate to kill , anxiety levels , to fallow mythology rituals. Ganesh chaturthi for 11 days. And five days , in between to stuck two states , giving one girl child to life to bear in my uterus , suspects from ISRO vibes from coin fighters.

[@roloduarte3100]

Marvelous video; I was thinking about this exact same concept.

[@GungaLaGunga]

Mel Brooks, High Anxiety, good movie.

[@prakharrai9410]

Never knew anxiety carries so much of superpowers.

[@masobar-rj1lr]

i hope scientist find a great solution for ancxiety medication, so people would liberated from this suffer

[@joeyjoejoejeoejojoeshabadoo]

I am not used to useless platitudes on this channel. The tools suggested here are for very specific and actionable anxieties. What about general anxiety about the things that are beyond our control yet still closing in on us? Things like climate change, unstable politics, always-increasing financial woes -- there are no "super powers" to be found within these anxieties.

[@nishantgoura2871]

Sickle cell Anemia and auto immune alopecia. During World war one and two , Herosima n Nagasaki.

[@shinigamiii23]

Sahi baat hai

[@djaerosoul]

Superpower concept is genius!!!

[@chopsuey25]

Anxiety or Somatic pain person can do heavy lift Gym workout?

[@dhanbanhazarika8378]

Meditation is the best medicine for anxiety

[@boonechristianson]

This video fails to validate the pain that anxiety causes, and fails to address sources of anxiety. We don't want to be productive out of fear, but out of inherent motivation and pleasure. When we try to frame anxiety as a good thing, we fail to recognize that practically every life function is better and more efficient without it.

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

You can't have life without fear and pain. There are people who are born without pain, they don't survive for long because what on earth is going to stop them from accidentally killing themselves?

[@fernandooliveiralino]

Very interesting video. Thank you.

[@TheVerendus]

Mindfulness and the ability to *respond* rather than *react* to new stimuli is vital to controlling one's anxiety.

[@mizzz_tigerjones444]

Science is unscripted. Everyone has their own personal ability/deficiency to react to stress in different ways.❤

[@amdeko]

I will forever clap for others until it's my turn 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@faisalpa4268]

That's ur thought only

[@victorrodriguez7252]

Nothing to do with the video, but just a fun fact: the train in 0:50 is from the Metro of Madrid, capital of Spain :)

[@sandrexmusic]

Los amo Me encantan todos los videos de big think todos deberían verlos

[@rashidabaakza8554]

Best video ever 👌 Turning Anxiety into Productivity is really something helpful and inspiring for growth as well as diversification of negative thoughts. 🤞✌️

[@PauL-xc6pl]

Inspiring words and woman.

[@apostate]

I'm not at all convinced that you can have 'microflow' during anxiety-saturated episodes. For me, flow becomes impossible in any gradient, even micro. I have to be out of anxiety entirely before I have access to my creative flow again.

[@pawankhangura9447]

Very helpful. This may be my favourite video.

[@LiamKear]

brilliant

[@mahmoodahmed8863]

Thanks!

[@shadowscp1391]

But what is grief, if not love persevering?

[@pawankhangura9447]

I liked the flow effect.

[@user-ty6yc7jq6f]

What your told is problable in de air, everthing you told and much more ive studied 5:42 autodicatily for an hole Yes sometime ideas seems not completer orginialy, cheers Claudio

[@robertdouglas8895]

The mind determines everything that happens in the body and brain. People who think they are bodies and not spirit are confused about the cause so they treat the body instead of the cause which is the thoughts we believe are true. Love is the opposite of fear and is what cures fear. Forgiveness contains the thoughts of love that replace the need to attack or avoid experiences in life. Real flow allows God's thought to move through our mind. Letting go of the ego mind and accepting the will of God for our decisions brings us to peace and joy.

[@peggyharris3815]

Ego has nothing to do with a person losing their homeowners insurance or having their HOA dues triple or being denied medical treatment by their insurance company. I could continue giving you examples...

[@robertdouglas8895]

@@peggyharris3815 That you have a different opinion than i do doesn't bother me. The outer world is determined by our own minds. We are masters of our fates, not victims.

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

​@@robertdouglas8895so it's god the master of our fate or we ourselves? Because you are flipping between those two as to feel...

[@robertdouglas8895]

@@sonkeschmidt2027 It depends on your choice. You get what you ask for. Separate yourself from God and you get a world of you own desires. Ask God to help you and you join with Him to see your life change with the changing of your will to His which is peace and joy.

[@CrepitusRex]

This video gave me a panic attack.

[@SleepyMagii]

Isnt anxiety just a level of self consciousness? You are bring your Person(al) into the equation allowing mind to run "what-if.exe"? If we stay out of it, as the (impersonal) Self, then there is no "anxiety", it dissolves instantly... it is a tool, often mismanaged because we are not taught to controlour awareness or even identify with it, instead we identify the "effects" of these processes and with the person they effect... The reality being we are neither the processes nor the person (Im my own observation)

[@sonkeschmidt2027]

But then you need to run the body without the software to drive it. Which is rather difficult and the reason why basically no one has been able to achieve it.

[@blackboysominc1288]

wonderful