People regularly use words interchangeably for dramatic effect, like saying they are “ravenous” instead of “hungry.” Or to indicate nuance, someone might describe a color as “scarlet,” not “red.”
Sometimes a person uses several different words to describe one thing because they erroneously think they are substitutable. Such is the case with anxiety, nervousness and fear.
The feelings are often connected, but they are not the same, according to most mental health professionals. And understanding their differences can equip you to navigate the manifestations of each.
It’s worth noting that two researchers have stated that “the current distinction between fear and anxiety is an unreliable one.” But there is a body of work to the contrary for a reason. Nervousness, anxiety and fear affect your life and the quality of it, according to health professionals. Recognizing the difference could reduce worry and help determine when to seek professional medical help.
The information that follows is not medical guidance and should not be used as such. It is essential to consult with healthcare professionals to address concerns about your emotional well-being.
Fear
Fear is one of the six universal emotions that Paul Ekman, a doctor of clinical psychology, identified during his research on facial expressions in various cultures. The other universal emotions Ekman identified are happiness, sadness, anger, disgust and surprise. Fear, according to the American Psychological Association, is a primal and hardwired human emotion that exists to protect people from immediate danger.
It is a short-term emotion that increases heart rate and redirects blood to the muscles that people need to take action to protect themselves. It is the result of an existing, current and sudden dangerous situation. And once the threatening situation no longer exists – for example, an aggressive stray dog left the parking lot, or you took refuge in your car before it reached you – the fear goes away.
“…Fear, as a psychobiological emotion or reaction, is not, in and of itself, a form of pathology or disorder,” Dr. Padraic Gibson wrote in “Psychology Today.” “On the contrary, it is a fundamental sensation we use to adapt to our environment successfully.”
Nervousness
Like fear, nervousness has a trigger. But unlike fear, it’s not always sudden. Often, the feeling is connected to an expected or planned situation and is tied to concern about handling the circumstance well.
Nervousness might manifest as sleeplessness, rapid and shallow breathing, a racing heart or sweaty palms.
Examples of planned situations that can lead to those physiological responses are meeting a partner’s parents or going to a job interview. Nervousness can also result from a sudden circumstance, like being asked to stand in for a colleague and deliver a speech.
And like fear, when the event or situation ends, so does the nervousness.
Anxiety
Fear, nervousness and anxiety produce similar physical changes such as sleeplessness or a racing heart. According to Harvard Health, they all emanate from the same area of the brain, the amygdala, a structure that plays a role in processing emotions and emits distress signals.
Unlike fear and nervousness, anxiety is not the result of something sudden or planned. Anxiety is characterized by constant worry about a situation or circumstance that does not exist at the moment and might not ever exist.
Gibson refers to it as “what if” thinking that is based on the future. “What if I get fired?” “What if I can’t pay tuition?” “What if the brakes fail?”
A person experiencing anxiety thinks that something catastrophic and disastrous will happen. The American Psychological Association defines it as “a future-oriented, long-acting response broadly focused on a diffuse threat, whereas fear is an appropriate, present-oriented, and short-lived response to a clearly identifiable and specific threat.”
The “long-acting” aspect of anxiety can increase stress, which contributes to several harmful medical conditions. Additionally, anxiety can affect how people behave and live. The health division of the University of California at Davis recommends seeking medical help for anxiety when it interferes with essential life activities, is persistent, demoralizes you, causes frequent panic attacks or cannot be controlled.
