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Our bodies sometimes overreact to stressors as if they were lethal, when they're not.

Such extreme anxiety stems from evolution favoring brains that overreacted versus under-reacted to threats.

Understanding how the brain unconsciously makes you overanxious with outdated reasoning can ease anxiety.

A scenario provoking extreme anxiety

Brad knew something was wrong the moment his boss entered the conference room for the weekly staff meeting. Normally cheerful and energetic, the boss moved sluggishly, his face haggard. He slumped into his chair, cleared his throat, and delivered the bad news: their entire department was being eliminated as part of a corporate merger.

Back at his desk after the meeting, Brad stared numbly at the wall of his cubicle, seeing only a bleak future without a salary or health insurance. How would he pay for the mortgage, the kid’s private school? Getting a new job as a programmer in the age of AI would be monumentally difficult. A dark voice in his head screamed: Your life is over. A growing panic seized Brad. His muscles tensed, his heart pounded, his stomach twisted, and breathing grew rapid and shallow.

Evolutionary roots of........

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