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Home Psychology topics

Anxiety

[young man looking anxious at home+]

Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.

Anxiety is not the same as fear, but they are often used interchangeably. Anxiety is considered a future-oriented, long-acting response broadly focused on a diffuse threat, whereas fear is an appropriate, present-oriented, and short-lived response to a clearly identifiable and specific threat.

Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Psychology and the APA Dictionary of Psychology

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