Edvard Munch - Anxiety, 1894

Anxiety is a very familiar emotional state for all of us, but we tend to have a fair bit of difficulty describing in words.  It's something that influences everything we do without us knowing it - and, sometimes, it can spiral out of control and control our lives.  It's also critical to living a productive life, making prudent decisions, and avoiding future suffering.

In this episode, Bo and I chat about what exactly anxiety is, how it's different from fear, and how it evolved over the course of millions of years.  Next time, we'll get more specific; how does the brain produce anxiety and fear, and how do they influence everything from creativity and parenting to addiction and aggression.  We also chat about how high levels of anxiety are heritable; is it transmitted genetically or through learned behavior?

References used:

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