Emotion researcher Lisa Feldman Barrett says that the brain uses sensory input to predict what will happen next. Remember the fight-or-flight response? It’s not really a response - well, not a response to the stimulus, that is. In other words, we react to whatever is happening around us, and we trust our emotions to give us feedback on what we see. We assume that our emotions are “triggered” in response to a certain stimulus. So what’s wrong with that? People gossip, right? And weren’t they probably talking about you? You wouldn’t feel this way unless it were true, right? Not so fast. Your response is appropriate for what might happen, not what’s happening now. But if you, say, are concerned that they may be talking about you, you’re responding to the perceived threat. There is no immediate threat or inherent danger - your colleagues aren’t about to run you over or attack you (probably). However, if you have anxiety, you may begin to experience racing thoughts, nervousness, and have trouble saying hello to them. Even situations that don’t present an immediate threat may cause feelings of fear.įor example, imagine that you are in an office and see a group of coworkers chatting casually. But someone that has anxiety will have a more sensitive fear trigger. As noted above, they share many of the same symptoms.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |