Skip to main contentA logo with &quat;the muse&quat; in dark blue text.
Advice / Succeeding at Work / Break Room

People Who Worry More Are Smarter—So Keep on Stressing

You’d never think that anxiety could be a good thing, right?

If you’re like me, you probably get cold sweats when interviewing, or can feel your heart beat out of your chest whenever speaking in front of a large group of people, or generally just have that pit in your stomach. And I would say that 10 times out of 10, that’s a horrible feeling.

Well, this New York Magazine video explains that worrying is actually linked to higher intelligence. So basically, all that anxiety is making you smarter. You read that right—smarter.