

Ep. 260 – Anxiety Series: Dr. Jud Brewer
10 snips Mar 18, 2025
Join Dr. Jud Brewer, a New York Times best-selling author and leading expert in habit change, as he discusses the neuroscience of anxiety. He explains how anxiety differs from fear and how mindfulness can alleviate excessive worrying. The conversation highlights the transformative power of curiosity in understanding our thoughts. Dr. Brewer also addresses the impact of the internet on collective anxiety, particularly among youth. Listeners will gain practical insights to navigate their own anxiety with kindness and awareness.
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Neuroscience of Anxiety
- Anxiety is the fear of the future, a blend of two helpful survival mechanisms (fear and planning).
- It arises from placing fear, designed for present survival, into future scenarios.
Planning and Uncertainty
- Planning requires information and past experience to simulate the future.
- Uncertainty increases when we lack experience or face complex situations with many moving parts.
Worry vs. Planning
- Worrying and catastrophizing, unlike planning, cause suffering.
- Checking plans repeatedly without new information is unproductive worrying.