Some people apparently perform better while anxious or prefer feeling anxious. While this seems to have been a relatively small study, I personally feel like its results may have been spot on. I personally would much rather be nervous before a test, than totally at peace. I think it's a common misconception that people suffering from anxiety or neurosis are desperate for prescription medication; on the contrary, I would think that many people shun medication for a number of reasons. Today, mental health issues remain highly stigmatized both socially and personally. No one wants to admit to depression/anxiety issues, and broadcasting them in public is not exactly appealing either. Many people are still skeptical as well of drugs that affect behavior or the brain--seeing them as dangerous, not allowing them to be themselves, unhelpful, pointless, or just plain not understanding their effects and their mechanics.
In this case, further study is most definitely needed to see if these two studies have any real significance. Each study only looked at a very specific population: undergraduates. The sample group was also relatively small in each case. I wonder what kind of success the study might find over a broader population and larger sample.
It is also interesting to see the distinction Kent Berridge makes about the emotions of want and like. The article says, "Wanting to feel an emotion is not the same thing as enjoying that emotion, points out neuroscientist Kent Berridge of the University of Michigan, who discovered that wanting and liking are mediated by two distinct sets of neurotransmitters."
In the last paragraph they talk about how the anxious often get used to their condition and when they lose it, they experience boredom or prefer to return to their anxious state than not feel. How then do we go about treating anxiety if this is true? Is some anxiety healthy? In my mind, I think so. But I also think that this is more of a personal issue. Some people are worriers, others are more care-free.
Nonetheless, this is a nice, short piece that peaked my interest, but leaves a lot to be explored and clarified.
I think this is a very interesting article which brings up a lot of interesting topic of discussion. I agree with your stance about having some anxiety before a test be healthy and sometimes even helpful. I use the anxiety to push myself to study harder. That being said, I do not want to be taking the test have a ton of anxiety either.
ReplyDeleteAnxiety is a very difficult issue to asses in people. It is a very individual topic that has to be treated that way. I do not believe one set standard of anxiety level can be used for all people. Some people would thrive under a little stress and another person would be very inefficient and uncomfortable. Ultimately, the brain is maybe the most complex system in the human body and it may take a long time to be able to effectively treat anxiety issues. Level of anxiety is definitely a factor in whether it is beneficial, but it is something I would not want to be without.
I agree with Zach's point that anxiety can be a good thing, but too much of it can have detrimental effects on the individual. When I hear the word anxiety, I often associate it with negative connotations, usually the kind of bad press that it receives in media and health reports. However, I believe that anxiety has functional value. It is a natural human response to become stressed when faced with situations that are challenging, but this human response is what keeps us alert.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, when it comes to controlling anxiety, we find ourselves faced with a difficult and confusing obstacle. There are no standards, no levels, no benchmarks, nor any criteria that can deem oneself 'too anxious or stressed'.
All in all, I think there are two types of anxiety: the first being a nervous, alert state, the second being a progressively panicked state. The latter is the type of anxiety that I believe is what we need to target to treat, but the first type of anxiety should be something that everyone needs. How else are we supposed to work through problems and push ourselves to do better if we don't feel the need to do so?
I totally agree with Rebecca's last statement that anxiety helps us push ourselves to do better. I think it would be unnatural for someone not to feel anxious before a challenge. Like Rebecca mentioned, anxiety is a natural human response.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I disagree with the article in that I, personally, would not rather feel anxious than at peace before something like a test. Perhaps much of that anxiety comes from being underprepared, as one who is overprepared would not feel the same sort of stress.
Nevertheless, I do think that a little anxiety is a good thing, as it keeps the body alert and ready to meet a challenge.
I think it's important to recognize the distinction that Rebecca made between anxiety that can make you feel alert and that which causes a detrimental level of anxiety and depression. Mental health is one of the hardest health issues to address in many ways, because it is among the hardest to categorize. If you want to know if you have AIDS, there's a test for that. But knowing if you have an anxiety disorder and what form of treatment would be best, from just meditating to taking actual medication, can be difficult.
ReplyDeleteThis yields a whole different problem in the healthcare industry, because there is such confusion about what exactly constitutes a mental health disorder that what forms of treatment an insurer should cover gets very blurry. I think that the best way to classify "normal" anxiety vs. an actual problem is if the level of anxiety interferes with your ability to live day-to-day.