Tag Archives: fear

The Link Between Anxiety and Intelligence: Imagination

Anxiety is a sign of intelligence because anxiety is essentially imagining the future. That’s how humans became so intelligent compared to other species. We developed an ability to imagine the future. To see different factors and anticipate something to happen before it does. As a result, we were able to set traps to kill prey. And realize if we plant a seed today, crops will grow weeks or months later. Or predict that we will fall if we step off a steep cliff. Imagination is possibly even the origin of consciousness itself. Continue reading


Fear and Lovecraft and Social Anxiety


The late great horror writer H.P. Lovecraft once said, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” He may not have been referring to social anxiety, but he could have been. Continue reading

Social Anxiety in Movies: Inside Out

Social Anxietyin Movies (1)

Inside Out is an animated Pixar movie that takes place inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias). In the Headquarters of Riley’s mind, we meet the different emotions that make up her personality: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. Throughout the film, these five emotions work together to influence Riley’s behavior and her memories. Continue reading

Poker & Exposure

Me during my poker days back in college.

Me during my poker days.

I’ll never forget how nervous I was my first night playing poker at a casino in Atlantic City. My heart pounded a mile a minute, my fingers sweat onto the cards, and my hands shook like maracas every time I pushed chips into the pot. I was afraid to win a hand because I didn’t know how to tip the dealer. I was so scared, I folded pocket kings before the flop. My fear cost me money. The other guy only had jacks. I was a better player than that. Continue reading

11 Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes to Overcome Social Anxiety


Franklin D. Roosevelt is famous for saying, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” However, the President’s wife had many great quotes of her own, dealing with the same subject matter: fear and anxiety. Eleanor Roosevelt was, “A shy, awkward child, starved for recognition and love,” yet she grew into, “One of the most outspoken women to live in the White House.” That didn’t mean the former First Lady stopped feeling fear and anxiety. She merely learned how to overcome her fear, and the following quotes explain how she did just that. Continue reading

Social Anxiety: A Rational Fear?

Many therapists and psychological experts say that our social anxiety fear of being judged by others is irrational. That people aren’t really thinking the negative things about us that we believe they are. While it’s true, you can never know what another person is thinking, we can’t ignore the fact that people do judge other people, often negatively. I know, because I do it myself. When I see someone do or say something foolish, I’ll negatively judge them— find them stupid, weird, or whatever else. Which is exactly what I and others with social anxiety are so afraid of other people doing to us. The irrationality of social anxiety comes with how much importance we give to those negative judgements of others. Continue reading