Now, follow people around who never worry and count how often they’re wrong. 😑
There’s a weird disconnect between whether worries are accurate or not and whether worry was warranted because bad shit actually happened. No evidence presented on that score, just generalized speculation.
As nonworrier, I get the agenda the researchers are pushing, but I’m not seeing evidence that not worrying will improve those people’s lives—just that they suck at worrying (which they already know).
It depends -- if you don't meet a deadline because you didn't worry about it, maybe that person should worry more and actually finish their work. But if we're talking conscientious people who are broadly responsible I think the general trend here is to worry too much (at least in my friends group) and that's wholly counter-productive.
Interesting thought. I wasn't considering foreseeable consequences, only random unpredictable ouchies. 🤔 As a nonworrier (which I arrogantly refer to as the warrior end of the worrier-warrior spectrum), I feel like I'm generally happier than people who worry all the time (like my wife). However, I have noticed that worriers, if deprived of obvious worries, will worry about not having any worries… 🤷♂️
I try not to do clickbait titles here, although last week's post was a provocative title which annoyed a few people, but that was on purpose to be parity with the original and demonstrate how silly it all is (I only do this occasionally to point out absurdities).
I agree about worrying among the general population, but I am deeply concerned about you portraying GAD as "worrying". GAD is a real disorder that often needs treatment and supervision by medical professionals. Telling someone with GAD to "stop worrying" is like telling someone with depression to "cheer up", it's neither helpful or healthy.
As someone who has advocated for mental health in the past, I hope you will consider updating the post.
I think you may be reading an argument into the piece that I wasn't making.
I wasn't suggesting people with generalized anxiety disorder should simply "stop worrying," nor was I offering treatment advice. The study happened to use participants with GAD because they're an ideal population for examining whether anxious predictions accurately forecast reality.
What I found interesting is even among people whose anxiety is severe enough to meet diagnostic criteria, over 90% of worry predictions did not occur. In fact, one of the study's findings was that becoming aware of the inaccuracy of these predictions was associated with reductions in anxiety symptoms during treatment.
The point of the piece was directed at the general population: many of us treat our anxious thoughts as if they're reliable forecasts when, in reality, they're often poor predictors of what will actually happen.
That's not an argument against treatment for GAD. If anything, the study suggests that helping people recognize the gap between feared outcomes and actual outcomes can be therapeutically useful. With that if there is a specific line you want updated that was pesky somehow just email me it I'll change it (but perhaps this comment sufficiently helps clarify for you or other readers).
That's exactly how anxiety works, it's not related to actual outcomes. That's what makes it anxiety.
The title of the piece is "You should worry far less" and your main evidence is a study of people with GAD. Your intention in the piece is not what matters, it's the point you convey - that GAD is part of the worrying problem.
Yes, this is exactly what I meant: anxiety isn’t about actual outcomes, it’s about the prediction–reality gap between expected and observed outcomes. We are saying the same thing and in alignment on this.
That’s why this study is so useful here. Using extreme or clinical cases to understand a broader mechanism is standard in behavioral science. In this case, diagnosed populations help establish the upper bound of anxious prediction and what happens when the system is operating at its most intense. Those ceiling effects clarify the strength and scope of the finding.
If the gap between predicted and actual outcomes remains large even at clinical levels of anxiety, where worry is already near its ceiling, it suggests a robust mechanism that generalizes across the full spectrum of anxiety. I think if anything this makes a really good case for people to journal more, and why it helps all sorts of people.
Now, follow people around who never worry and count how often they’re wrong. 😑
There’s a weird disconnect between whether worries are accurate or not and whether worry was warranted because bad shit actually happened. No evidence presented on that score, just generalized speculation.
As nonworrier, I get the agenda the researchers are pushing, but I’m not seeing evidence that not worrying will improve those people’s lives—just that they suck at worrying (which they already know).
It depends -- if you don't meet a deadline because you didn't worry about it, maybe that person should worry more and actually finish their work. But if we're talking conscientious people who are broadly responsible I think the general trend here is to worry too much (at least in my friends group) and that's wholly counter-productive.
Interesting thought. I wasn't considering foreseeable consequences, only random unpredictable ouchies. 🤔 As a nonworrier (which I arrogantly refer to as the warrior end of the worrier-warrior spectrum), I feel like I'm generally happier than people who worry all the time (like my wife). However, I have noticed that worriers, if deprived of obvious worries, will worry about not having any worries… 🤷♂️
What's concerning is that this post lacks a solid clickbait title and still gets 16 likes.
I try not to do clickbait titles here, although last week's post was a provocative title which annoyed a few people, but that was on purpose to be parity with the original and demonstrate how silly it all is (I only do this occasionally to point out absurdities).
Sometimes I view my entire life as basically pointing out absurdities.
Hey Adam— Great Post. Thanks. I did a bit “about worry” a while back. I think you’ll have fun with.
The word worry comes from the Old English wy̆rgan, meaning “to strangle.”
I’m not sure the proper way to share this, so… If I screw up. Forgive. Please and… if your willing tell me how to do this properly.
Thanks Adam. I continue to appreciate you. ❤️
https://informinvolveinspire.substack.com/p/about-worry?r=2eyywn&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
I love that last line. It reminds me of a technique from dialectical behavior therapy called "Bad News Radio."
Bad News Radio, bad news all the time. This just in: all worst-case scenarios will be realized today!
It certainly helps me create some distance from that highly inaccurate pundit in my own head.
I agree about worrying among the general population, but I am deeply concerned about you portraying GAD as "worrying". GAD is a real disorder that often needs treatment and supervision by medical professionals. Telling someone with GAD to "stop worrying" is like telling someone with depression to "cheer up", it's neither helpful or healthy.
As someone who has advocated for mental health in the past, I hope you will consider updating the post.
I think you may be reading an argument into the piece that I wasn't making.
I wasn't suggesting people with generalized anxiety disorder should simply "stop worrying," nor was I offering treatment advice. The study happened to use participants with GAD because they're an ideal population for examining whether anxious predictions accurately forecast reality.
What I found interesting is even among people whose anxiety is severe enough to meet diagnostic criteria, over 90% of worry predictions did not occur. In fact, one of the study's findings was that becoming aware of the inaccuracy of these predictions was associated with reductions in anxiety symptoms during treatment.
The point of the piece was directed at the general population: many of us treat our anxious thoughts as if they're reliable forecasts when, in reality, they're often poor predictors of what will actually happen.
That's not an argument against treatment for GAD. If anything, the study suggests that helping people recognize the gap between feared outcomes and actual outcomes can be therapeutically useful. With that if there is a specific line you want updated that was pesky somehow just email me it I'll change it (but perhaps this comment sufficiently helps clarify for you or other readers).
That's exactly how anxiety works, it's not related to actual outcomes. That's what makes it anxiety.
The title of the piece is "You should worry far less" and your main evidence is a study of people with GAD. Your intention in the piece is not what matters, it's the point you convey - that GAD is part of the worrying problem.
Yes, this is exactly what I meant: anxiety isn’t about actual outcomes, it’s about the prediction–reality gap between expected and observed outcomes. We are saying the same thing and in alignment on this.
That’s why this study is so useful here. Using extreme or clinical cases to understand a broader mechanism is standard in behavioral science. In this case, diagnosed populations help establish the upper bound of anxious prediction and what happens when the system is operating at its most intense. Those ceiling effects clarify the strength and scope of the finding.
If the gap between predicted and actual outcomes remains large even at clinical levels of anxiety, where worry is already near its ceiling, it suggests a robust mechanism that generalizes across the full spectrum of anxiety. I think if anything this makes a really good case for people to journal more, and why it helps all sorts of people.