Why does Rob Kurzban say anxiety is useful but shouldn't be maxed out?

Rob Kurzban treats anxiety as fear about a danger further down the road, such as the reputational risk of public speaking, which prompts planning to reduce it. Turning it to maximum would not help, he said, because of opportunity cost: every moment spent worrying is a moment not spent acting or thinking about something else. He believes evolution set the dial about right for hunter-gatherer life, but modern cities full of strangers and social media's constant observation keep vigilance high.

• Kurzban said worrying about a talk for three years would cost three years of life for little gain.
• Kurzban cited Randolph Nesse's example of a mouse that should, but may not always, fear the smell of cats.

▸In their words

“my favorite economic concept, which is opportunity cost.” Rob Kurzban · at 34:58 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Modern Wisdom (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

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