The act of introducing oneself in a room full of people can be stressful, especially when going last. This is because our brains are wired to be more inclined towards movement and action, making it difficult to remain still and alert. When we are simply listening, we can comfortably sit and engage in other tasks. However, when it's our turn to speak, our brain's anticipatory circuits for action come into play, causing added pressure.
“There’s no difference between the physiological response to something that you’re excited about and something that you’re nervous about or dreading,” says Andrew Huberman, associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University. In this podcast episode, Huberman talks with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams about his research on the autonomic continuum, a spectrum between states of very high alertness or fear, all the way down to deep sleep, and shares how to better-use the system to your advantage.
“If people can conceptualize that the anxiety or stress response is the same as the excitement response, they feel different,” Huberman says.
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