[Book Sip] When Do People Feel Anxiety?

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with the reader’s heart, creating a connection with the book. We excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books.

This is the 12th book in the 'Good Morning Good Night' series, created by scholars and researchers representing various fields for future generations. Korea’s leading cognitive psychologist Professor Kim Kyung-il guides readers into the fascinating and beneficial world of psychology. Based on intriguing experiments and research findings, the book tells stories of psychology that help understand human nature and transform daily life, covering the mental processes involved in judgment and decision-making, ways to manage persistent anxiety, and advice for living in a harmonious society.

Simon, a giant in cognitive science who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1978, focused on the limitations of human cognitive abilities. In any decision-making situation, the number of choices is nearly infinite. Evaluating every alternative one by one is beyond human cognitive capacity. Therefore, analyzing all alternatives and their various attributes and comparing them to select the optimal one is not very realistic for humans. Instead, it is more appropriate and realistic to stop judging and thinking once one reaches a moment or level of satisfaction with the decision. In short, decisions occur at the moment satisfaction arises, and thus human judgment and decision-making aim for ‘satisficing’ rather than ‘optimizing,’ Simon argued. - Is Human Judgment Rational?, pp. 58-59

When do people feel anxiety? In uncertain situations. A death row inmate who does not know the execution date experiences extreme anxiety. If the execution date is known, they feel fear or sorrow for their life that will end someday. No one is scared while watching a horror movie with a countdown to when the ghost will appear. This is because if the timing of the ghost’s appearance is predictable, there is no anxiety. In other words, anxiety is amplified by unpredictability, and if a bad outcome becomes somewhat predictable beyond a certain level, anxiety is significantly alleviated. This is because one can acknowledge the situation and then prepare or be cautious. Therefore, when faced with anxiety-inducing situations, people demand accurate facts rather than shallow consolation or encouragement. - How to Manage the Mind in Anxious Times, pp. 115-116

Psychologists have always warned that grand changes to escape severe stress are more likely to cause even greater stress. (...) When you engage in small, trivial conversations without any particular purpose, you may unknowingly feel relief from stress. Of course, that feeling itself does not solve the problem. However, through that changed feeling, you may gain the motivation to address stress-inducing factors and change the situation. Especially at times like this, do not be afraid to meet happy people around you. - Beyond Mental Illness, Coexisting Together, pp. 144-145

Psychology Lessons by Professor Kim Kyung-il | Written by Kim Kyung-il | Gimyoungsa | 176 pages | 11,500 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.