1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuf, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,639 Speaker 1: Lauren vogel Bomb here with another classic episode for you. 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: Today's has to do with anxiety and public speaking and 4 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: why the two so often go hand in hand. It's 5 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: a thing I deal with and this is my day job. 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: But there are things that you can do about it. 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: Hey brain stuff, Lauren voel Bomb. Here, You're minutes away 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: from presenting a speech. Your heart quickens, your hands turned clammy, 9 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: and your brain dissolves into oatmeal. Those killer opening lines 10 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: that you had planned, they've all but vanished, with no 11 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: evidence that they ever existed, just like your all day 12 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: deodorant and any sense of cool that you might have 13 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: temporarily summoned. And all those people around the table in 14 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: the conference room or classroom or auditorium are doing the 15 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: absolute worst thing that they could do right now. They're 16 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: staring and waiting and waiting and waiting for you. I 17 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: just want to run in Hi. Do you say to yourself, 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: this is not going well. I'm going to bomb, According 19 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: to both my own personal experience and one Scott Compton, 20 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: a professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Duke University, 21 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: School of Medicine. That's exactly what those with a fear 22 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,279 Speaker 1: of public speaking are thinking, and that anxiety, of course, 23 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: is exactly the problem. The fear of public speaking is 24 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: seriously real. It's a type of social anxiety disorder, which 25 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: is a term first coined in nineteen eighty in the 26 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders the DSM from 27 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: the National Institute of Mental Health quote, people with social 28 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: anxiety disorder have a general, intense fear of or anxiety 29 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: toward social or performance situations. They worry that actions or 30 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: behaviors associated with their anxiety will be negatively evaluated by others, 31 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: leading them to feel embarrassed. This worry often causes people 32 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: with social anxiety to avoid social situations. Social anxiety disorder 33 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: affects a whopping fifteen million American adults. Among the many 34 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: subsets of the disorder, the fear of public speaking, sometimes 35 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: called glossophobia, is king. As many as seven out of 36 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: ten Americans may grapple with some degree of glossophobia. But 37 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: Jerry Seinfeld once quipped, according to most studies, people's number 38 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. This means, 39 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: to the average person, if you go to a funeral, 40 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: You're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. 41 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: And this fear is way more serious than sweaty palms 42 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: in a tied tongue. Those with severe glossophobia worry so 43 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: much about how they act or appear in public that 44 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: they often avoid public settings altogether, and that can be 45 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: harmful to their personal and professional well being. And the 46 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: Anxiety and Depression Association of America warns that things can 47 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: get even more serious. Quote. 48 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 2: People with social anxiety disorder are also at an increased 49 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 2: risk for developing major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorders. 50 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 2: The Andrew Kuges Foundation for Social Anxiety lays it out 51 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 2: in stark terms. The name may sound harmless, but the 52 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 2: disorder is complex, cruel, and anything but simple. Social anxiety 53 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 2: is far more than shyness in a fear of public speaking. 54 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 2: It's an addiction to avoidance and a disease of resistance. 55 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 2: So what's happening here? A Social anxiety disorders, including glossophobia, 56 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 2: are defined by extreme fear and worry. They are the 57 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 2: most common mental disorders in the US. The signs that 58 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 2: someone may be experiencing an anxiety disorder may include feeling nervous, irritable, 59 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 2: or on edge, having a sense of impending danger, panic 60 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 2: or doom, having an increased heart rate, breathing rapidly, sweating 61 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 2: and or trembling, feeling weak or tired, difficulty concentrating, having 62 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 2: trouble sleeping, and or experiencing guest or intestinal problems. The 63 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 2: anxiety is thought to be centered in the amygdala, a 64 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 2: part of the brain associated with emotions. The idea is 65 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 2: that the amygdala, acting on bad memories or false ideas 66 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 2: of what could happen, releases fight or flight hormones that 67 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 2: put the body in a stressed state. Thus, the sweaty palms, 68 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: raise the heart and the desire to get away. The 69 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 2: disorders often start in young people. Psychiatry professor Compton says 70 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 2: a shy child who won't participate in class even though 71 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 2: he or she knows the answers, or who's afraid on 72 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 2: play dates, or who won't join a sports team for 73 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 2: fear of messing up, and grow as the child becomes 74 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 2: an adult. Compton said most of the anxiety disorders start 75 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 2: in early childhood and go untreated and unrecognized. People end 76 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 2: up developing some pretty maladaptive sort of coping strategies. The 77 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 2: go to strategy seems to be avoidance. Those who have 78 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 2: been dealing with social anxiety for years, including the fear 79 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 2: of public speaking, simply avoid stressful situations whenever they can, 80 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 2: and that's about the worst thing they can do when 81 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 2: it comes to conquering their fears. A Compton said, the 82 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 2: more you avoid, the worse. It becomes. My motto and 83 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 2: therapy is you need to avoid avoidance. It's almost like, 84 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 2: if something causes you anxiety, you need to do the 85 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 2: exact opposite of what your history is telling you to do. 86 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 2: Therapy can help a fear, public speed, and many other 87 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 2: social anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of 88 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,239 Speaker 2: psychotherapy talking things through that is widely used to treat 89 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 2: social anxiety by many mental health professionals. Compton said, in therapy, 90 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 2: you start with kind of small things. I know you 91 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 2: don't want to go to a conference and be a 92 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 2: keynote speaker, but would you be willing to give a 93 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 2: talk in front of one other person? Start small, build 94 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 2: up some confidence and success, and then turn the heat 95 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 2: up in terms of making the situation gradually more anxiety 96 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 2: provoking anxiety listening, medication is a possibility too, But the 97 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 2: first step may simply be practicing a speech in front 98 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 2: of a mirror or with a friend or solo in 99 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 2: an empty room. Also, learn to slow down and breathe, 100 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,119 Speaker 2: and try to buy into the idea that your life 101 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 2: will be better if you overcome your fear. Compton said, 102 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 2: when they can make the step of being willing to 103 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 2: do that thing, even though their history is sort of saying, 104 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 2: oh my gosh, this is going to be awful, those 105 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 2: are the ones that kind of get over their fear 106 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 2: of public speaking. For those facing the scary prospect of 107 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 2: making a public speech or being in any public setting 108 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 2: where you may have to talk, the National Social Anxiety 109 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 2: Center has loads of tips. One is to decatastrophize the 110 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 2: brain freeze that public speaking blackout that often happens with 111 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 2: glassophobia from personal experience. Again, the audience wants you to 112 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 2: do well, and we'll forget about any mistakes you make quickly, 113 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 2: and even if you completely bomb. One of the best 114 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 2: lessons about performing that I ever got was from one 115 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 2: Chuck Bryant. As he was getting off stage after coping 116 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 2: with a particularly tough crowd of middle schoolers. He shrugged 117 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 2: and said there's always next time. 118 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: Today's episode is based on the article Conquering the Fear 119 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: of Public Speaking on how stuffwork dot Com, written by 120 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: John Donovan. Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in 121 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: partnership with hostuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klag. 122 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 123 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.