We, errr, I mean humans, tend to overthink. And it's literally why it's harder for a human than a lab mouse to get over old anxieties.

But it doesn't have to be that way. You could conquer your fears like a science mouse.

2 Ways A Lab Mouse Conquers Fear Faster Than You

1. They notice, "Hey! Wasn't so bad!"

The fancy science term of Reward Prediction Error refers to the happy dopamine reward you get when something goes better than expected. When a mouse trained to expect a shock after an LED flashes is suddenly surprised by the fact that the LED flashes and no shock comes, they get a flood of dopamine. Relief!

The mouse notices, "Hey! Wasn't as bad as I thought!".

Humans? After we give our public speech and nobody throws bananas, do we go, "Hey! It wasn't as bad as I thought?" or do we go, "No, but I'll bet they secretly hated it."

2. They don't distract themselves: 

Acetylcholine is released in brain circuits that you focus your awareness on. And it's a critical for neuroplasticity.

A mouse that's just seen a flashing LED and is trained to expect a shock is hyper-focused on those circuits that say, "light means shock coming." So when the shock no longer comes - they're primed for unlearning the habit.

Humans? When we're nervous about going to a new gym with the secret fear that, "everybody is going to look at me weird and know I have no clue what I'm doing," do we pay close attention to whether that is actually happening?

Or do we distract ourselves with headphones and then go on assuming it's happening anyway?

Lab Mouse Fear Conquering Method: Pay Attention!

1. Notice what the anxiety actually expects to happen (Focus/Acetylcholine)

2. Stay present to observe the actual outcome (Reward Prediction Error)

3. Celebrate when it's not as bad you imagined (Dopamine)