4 ms·
Be on a plane
- snitko 16y agoMy hypothesis is that anxiety arise due to the illusion of control. On the plane, if it fell out of the sky there was nothing that I could do; I had to accept my fate. Filling in the form, I took agency for any mistakes made. I'd say, for most people, it's quite the contrary. They are anxious when they are NOT in control. Pilots in the cockpit are less anxious because they are in control of the plane, while pilots flying as passengers may feel anxious not less than a regular passenger (that's what I heard one pilot say). On the other hand, I'm never anxious when filling out some papers. I am in control of them, I enjoy doing this and I know I would do it better than anyone else would do it for me. So that might not be the best advice for everyone. I would agree that we work best when we are not stressed, but apparently that means different things for different people.