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Anxiety evolved to help us — what went wrong? A neuroscientist explains. | Wendy Suzuki
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August 25, 2023
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7:45Now PlayingBecome a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and moreNeuroscientist Wendy Suzuki explains why zero anxiety isn’t the goal.
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Up next, The #1 way to strengthen your mind is to use your body | Wendy Suzuki ►
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 ►
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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
There is now a blood test for anxiety disorders
How fear gets “stuck” in the brain
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