Anxiety

Very interesting take on anxiety from Dr Jud Brewer, author of Unwinding Anxiety on the You Are not so Smart Podcast.

Here are some of my take aways:

Being in your comfort zone is being in a place where you have the ability to predict what happens next
Two types of curiosity: destination curiosity and interest curiosity. Destination: who is that actor in that movie, once destination is reached, read no more. Interest curiosity: now I know about that actor, what else were they in, who directed it, what else did they direct, when was that, is the swordplay in that movie authentic (yes, it’s an internet hole, but in a good way). Interest curiosity can also be initiated by an anxiety event (let me explore what’s happening here)
RAIN (Response, Accept, Interest, Notice)
The research that brought us to the idea of a U curve (a little anxiety is good for you, up to a point) was not valid for humans – it was done not on anxiety but kinds of torture on mice and rats; anxiety is not necessary for performance.