EP 58 - Imaginary Stress

Most of the stress we experience is needless. A study at Penn State University found that only 8% of the things we worry about ever come true...

TRANSCRIPT

Imaginary Stress

Most of the stress we experience is needless. A study at Penn State University found that only 8% of the things we worry about ever come true. This type of stress is referred to as “imaginary stress”, and it activates the same stress response systems in the body as real-life stressors.

This is all caused by something known as the “negativity bias.” It means we’re more likely to remember and pay attention to negative experiences than neutral or positive ones. This bias helped our ancestors survive, as being alert to possible dangers was often a matter of life or death.

But in modern times, this negativity bias leads to imaginary stress. Instead of immediate threats like predators, we now anticipate future challenges: deadlines, unpleasant conversations, and other potential sources of stress. Our minds exaggerate these potential problems due to the negativity bias, causing us to overestimate their impact.

If you’ve worried about something that never happened or wasn’t near as bad as you feared, you’ve suffered from imaginary stress.