Foreword
F
ear and anxiety are fundamental aspects of human
existence. Virtually every student of the human con-
dition, from the ancient Greek philosophers to Sigmund
Freud to contemporary theorists of psychology, has tried to
make sense of these experiences. Unlike other species,
humans spend a lot of time thinking about past failures and
worrying about possible future events. If we feel our future
is uncertain, we experience anxiety.
Anxiety is a future- oriented mood state associated with,
or even caused by, worrisome thought processes. W hen we
are anxious, our mind is focused on the future and on the
things that could go wrong. To some extent this can be adap-
tive, because it helps us prepare for the future and avoid
undesirable situations: it motivates us to buy insurance, plan
for our retirement, and save money for our children’s college
education. But this same ability to anticipate future events
comes at an emotional cost.
The same is true when we start ruminating about past
events. Learning from our past failures is adaptive, but rumi-
nating about the past is not.