Anxiety Is a Habit. Curiosity Is the Interrupt. Dr. Judson Brewer Explains | Dealing With Feeling

Anxiety can feel permanent. For many of us it is not. It is a learned loop.

In this episode Dr. Marc Brackett talks with psychiatrist and anxiety researcher Dr. Judson Brewer (Brown University) about how worry gets reinforced, why we keep doing it even when life is good, and why curiosity is the skill that actually loosens the loop. They also go there on AI. Why bots can feel relational. Why that can be risky. And why human guided, evidence based support still matters.

What you’ll learn
How anxiety becomes a habit loop: trigger → worry → short relief → more worry
Why worrying feels like control even when it is not
Curiosity as the “oh” moment that shifts “oh no” into openness
Anxiety vs overwhelm vs stress, and why labeling precisely changes what helps
“Is this dangerous or different?” as a grounding question

Why this matters now...
We are living in an anxious culture. Information overload, disinformation, climate worries, school safety, political uncertainty. People are turning to their phones for support. Some of what they get is helpful. Some of it only deepens the loop. Dr. Brewer shows how to teach a simple, repeatable process that scales and still protects the relationship.

Judd’s books: Unwinding Anxiety, The Craving Mind, The Hunger Habit
Programs & resources: goingbeyondanxiety.com • drjud.com • juddbrewer.substack.com

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Let's embark on this journey of emotional growth and resilience together! #Anxiety #Curiosity #EmotionalIntelligence #Mindfulness #HabitChange #Worry #Overwhelm #MentalHealth #JuddBrewer #DealingWithFeeling #RULER #Psychology #AIinMentalHealth

A special thank you to the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence for supporting this webcast. I also want to thank Oji Life Lab for their generous support: https://ojilifelab.com. Oji Life Lab is the leader in mastery-centered learning for the workplace. To develop your skills in leadership, emotional intelligence and more, visit oji life lab dot com or click the link in the description of this video and use the promo code DEALINGWITHFEELINGS to save 25%.