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attention
Anxiety changes what you pay attention to in conversation.
Attentional control theory suggests that anxiety impairs your ability to shift attention away from task-irrelevant stimuli.
When you are anxious, your brain struggles to inhibit distracting information, which reduces your overall processing efficiency. This makes it harder for you to focus on the core meaning of a conversation during high-stress moments.
Anxiety is a cognitive tax on your focus.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Michael Eysenck, 2007
- What the check found
- The claim accurately reflects the core tenets of Eysenck et al. (2007), specifically the distinction between the inhibition/shifting functions of the central executive and anxiety's role in processing efficiency.
- Confidence
- Well replicated
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.