Turn a fear into weapons: psychologists have told about the benefits of anxiety and approaches to it

However, scientists have found that under the seeming destructive nature of anxiety, a hidden function is hidden, which may be more useful than it seems at first glance, writes The Washington Post. In focus, technology appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe to not miss the most info and interesting news from the world of science! Instead of being an emotional obstacle, anxiety, if felt in moderation, can serve as a tool for increasing concentration, motivation and even creativity.

This view is supported by psychologists such as Shannon Sauer-Zavali from Kentucky University, who believes that anxiety has adaptive qualities when it is in an average state. The Jerx-Dodson curve, a well-known psychological principle, illustrates this balance: too much anxiety leads to inhibitory distress and avoidance, and too weak-to self-retention and low efficiency. Somewhere between these extremes is the optimal zone where anxiety serves as a catalyst for training and involvement.

Psychologist Tracy Dennis-Tari develops this idea, explaining how anxiety honets the skills of solving problems. When a person is confronted with a stressful situation, his attention is narrowed, which makes him look for a solution more effectively than if he were completely calm. Examples from real life confirm this opinion. Dennis-Tari recalls how her own anxiety was a driving force when her son was diagnosed with heart defect.

Instead of allowing fear of absorbing it, she directed him to study his condition, ask doctors and find advice on forums. Anxiety did not paralyze it, but prompted action, demonstrating how anxiety could serve as a signpost on what is really important. Studies confirm this by showing that moderate anxiety can contribute to proactive behavior, such as more effective health management in patients after surgery or increased resistance in people who have encountered some but not excessive trials.

This idea that anxiety can be an ally, not an enemy, goes far beyond psychological theory and extends to biological reactions. Studies show that when anxiety is considered as a means of increasing efficiency, not as a threat, the body's response to stress changes accordingly. Instead of causing an influx of cortisol, which can worsen the decision -making process and physical health, the body secretes anabolic hormones that improve cognitive functions and productivity.

Jeremy Jamison, a psychologist at Rochester University, argues that such an approach to stress can lead to the best results in high -pressure situations, whether an interview, whether a public speech, or an improvised performance. After all, the main thing is the prospect, psychologists say. Anxiety is not always an enemy; Sometimes she is a force that pushes a person to go on stage, to prepare more carefully or to take care of something deeper.

If you consider anxiety as an instrument, not as an obstacle, it turns from a source of anxiety into a quiet but powerful ally, who, in the right approach, can even transform a nerve improvisational performance into unexpected success. Earlier, focus wrote that scientists learned how a sense of anger damages our heart. Every day we feel a whole range of emotions, from joy to anger without thinking about their impact on our health. But scientists claim that one emotion is able to seriously harm us.