Turn anxiety into excitement: Do Not Calm Down.
This chapter shows you how to turn anxiety into excitement instead of chasing a calm that may never come. First, you will see why your body reacts in a similar way to fear and thrill. Then you will meet the song the author asked for before his Stanford talk. Next come the experiments by Alison Wood Brooks. Next, you will record two pitches and read about exams, traders and champions. Finally, you will face the evidence that does not fit.
Why you can turn anxiety into excitement in minutes.
Chapter 8: Do not calm down
Fear and excitement feel the same: Who Names It.
Fear and excitement feel the same in many ways, because both speed your heart and quicken your breath. However, a 2018 review of 202 laboratory studies found no clear body pattern that separated one emotion from another. So part of the label on your pounding heart is yours to write.
Pump up song before a presentation: Why Roar.
The author asked for a pump up song before a presentation because he wanted confidence, not calm. Before his Stanford talk in October 2024, Katy Perry's Roar played out loud. However, he admits he cannot prove the song made the talk better.
Say I am excited instead of nervous: Brooks's Test.
When you say I am excited instead of nervous, you move to a nearby high energy state. Alison Wood Brooks found this beat trying to calm down in karaoke, speeches and maths. However, the fear did not disappear; it simply stopped being alone.
Record yourself practicing a pitch: Two Takes.
To record yourself practicing a pitch, do it twice: once after saying "I am calm" and once after "I am excited". Then score both takes against a checklist you wrote first. It takes your phone and about half an hour.
Where the evidence to turn anxiety into excitement gets thin.
Anxiety before investor pitch: Give Nerves a Job.
Anxiety before investor pitch moments can work for you when you read it as helpful. A 2010 study linked that reading to higher real GRE maths scores. Also, a 2024 study found founders who tied nerves to passion were judged more favourably.
Traders physiological response to risk: Listen.
Studies of traders physiological response to risk suggest professionals do not train their bodies quiet. In 2002, MIT researchers saw traders' pulse and skin react to market events. Later, a Cambridge study found the best traders seemed to hear their bodies better.
Rafael Nadal pre match rituals: Get Activated.
Rafael Nadal pre match rituals, like his cold shower, were meant to activate him, not calm him. Meanwhile, the teammates of Bill Russell welcomed the sound of him throwing up. Therefore, both treated strong nerves as a sign of readiness.
Does anxiety reappraisal really work: The Limits.
Does anxiety reappraisal really work? The evidence says yes, but modestly. A 2024 review found a small, real improvement, while a 2025 replication found no visible performance change. So use the sentence for the minutes before you walk in, never as a business plan.
