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survival of our prehistoric ancestors and helped them overcome their physical weaknesses and the challenges of their environment. So it makes sense that the ability to create these emotions was preserved during evolution.
WHAT ARE WE AFRAID OF NOW?
    The world has changed significantly since caves were our castles. When we humans discovered how to overcome our limitations, outsmart our enemies, and emerge as the dominating species on the planet, we wasted no time extinguishing our natural predators or forcing them to retreat to small vestiges of nature, away from civilization.
    Now we’re the most powerful species on Earth. At the same time, we’re the most dangerous threat to all living beings, including ourselves. That sounds rather bleak, and the truth is
most
humans don’t pose a physical threat to each other but live according to the “don’t harm and don’t get harmed” creed. Thus, the vast majority of people, especially in the industrialized nations, don’t face life-threatening situations on a daily basis. Yet around 17 percent of the world’s population has been diagnosed with anxiety disorder. 2 What are we still afraid of today?
    According to a 2001 Gallup survey, the fear of public speaking, which is the fear of public humiliation, is the second most common fear in the United States, exceeded only by the “ancient” fear of snakes. 3 In addition to the fear of losing health, face, and respect, other common modern fears are losing a job, money, security, relationships, and love. At first glance, these fears could be summarized as: the fear of losing something of value. However, underneath the fear of losing something that’s important to us often lingers a greater fear,which might be also anchored in evolution: the fear of losing control and being powerless. This deep-seated fear can lead to a vicious cycle, causing us to believe that hypervigilance, micromanaging, and even obsessive behaviors are the only way to maintain some sense of power and control when, in actuality, it is fear and anxiety that control our lives more and more.
ANXIETY KEEPS US SAFE—OR DOES IT?
    Many people believe that without fear and anxiety their lives would be less safe. You could argue that you need a level of anxiety to stay productive and avoid failure. Or you might be convinced that the less worried and vigilant you are, the more likely it is that you will make mistakes, disappoint others, and face criticism or failure. Some of these fears are learned during your upbringing and rooted in old proverbs and beliefs, such as, “You can’t count on anybody but yourself,” “You gotta watch your back,” “You can’t make the same mistake twice,” and “Life is not fair.” These beliefs have been handed down from one generation to the next and became part of your subconscious programming, conveying the notion that fear and anxiety are necessary for staying safe and well.
    However, considering your current day-to-day life, how much anxiety do you really need to be OK? Do you need the worry of losing your job to persuade you to go to work and do your best every day? Do you need the fear of causing an accident to motivate you to drive responsibly? Do you treat your spouse and others with courtesy and respect just because you’re afraid of what they might think about you otherwise?
    Usually it’s not fear and anxiety but experience, common sense, and wise choices that keep us safe. This is also true for our productivity, which may initially spike because of anxiety, but eventually decreases as ongoing stress and worry drain our energy and wear us down. Aren’t joy, purpose, and fulfillment much better motivators for improving our performance and helping us sustain a highly productive level?
    How much fear is actually safe? Chronic fear and anxiety exhaust you mentally and emotionally, cloud your judgment, and eventually make you feel insecure and powerless. Physiologically, even low-grade fear, experienced continuously,