Wendy Suzuki, a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at NYU and author of "Good Anxiety," explores the evolutionary role of anxiety. She explains how anxiety isn't just a negative feeling but can be harnessed into six beneficial "superpowers." By understanding the brain's response to anxiety, including the amygdala's activation and the prefrontal cortex's shutdown, she discusses techniques like cognitive flexibility to turn anxiety into productivity and empathy, transforming discomfort into positive outcomes.
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insights INSIGHT
Anxiety Is An Evolved Feature
Anxiety is a normal human emotion that evolved to protect us from danger.
We will never fully eliminate anxiety because it served adaptive functions for survival.
insights INSIGHT
Brain Mechanics Behind Anxiety
The amygdala triggers automatic fear responses while the prefrontal cortex handles executive calm.
Under high stress the amygdala activates and the prefrontal cortex shuts down, worsening anxiety.
insights INSIGHT
Negativity Bias Amplifies Worry
Humans have a negativity bias that makes us focus on threats when stressed or tired.
That bias compounds anxiety by amplifying negative interpretations of events.
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Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki explains why zero anxiety isn’t the goal.
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.
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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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