How to Make Use of Your Anxiety for Positive Results

Research participants who were asked to give an impromptu three-minute talk scored higher on persuasiveness and confidence if they first said to themselves “I am excited,” in comparison with those who said “I am anxious” or explicitly tried to calm down, says Alison Wood Brooks of Harvard Business School. Similarly, karaoke singers who first said “I am excited” scored an average of 81% on pitch, volume, and rhythm, compared with those who said “I am anxious” (69%) or “I am calm” (53%). People who are in a “high arousal” state tend to believe that calming down will help them perform, but it can be better to channel that arousal in a positive direction by being energetic and passionate, Brooks says.