PLATE XIII   Backstage, 112 beats per minute.

NOTE 12 · CHAPTER III

The racing heart before a speech

HABITAT    Interviews, performances, difficult conversations

Before karaoke, a speech or a hard math test, people who said “I am excited” out loud felt more excited than people who tried to calm down — and in the original studies, they performed better.25 Anxiety and excitement feel alike in the body: a fast heart, a buzz, a narrowing of attention. Relabeling one as the other may be easier than forcing yourself calm.