Anxiety sensitivity
"The thing I fear most is fear," wrote the sixteenth century philosophical essayist Michel de Montaigne. He might have been referring to anxiety sensitivity, a phenomenon first described by psychologists in the 1980s and since then increasingly used in the explanation and treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Anxiety sensitivity is a tendency to misinterpret the sensations that accompany anxiety — irregular breathing, heart palpitations, trembling, flushing, sweating, stomach rumbling — as indications of imminent physical danger or serious illness ("I'm going to have a heart attack;" or "I'm going to faint"), loss of control ("I can't concentrate — I'm going crazy!"), or humiliating social rejection ("Everyone will notice that I'm trembling"). Standard questionnaires have been developed to measure the phenomenon. The most widely used is the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, which asks people to affirm or deny statements like "Unusual body sensations scare me."
To continue reading this article, you must log in.
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online Plus (HHO+) to unlock expert-backed health insights, personalized tools, and exclusive resources to feel your best every day.
Here’s what you get with your HHO+ membership:
- Unlimited access to all Harvard Health Online content
- 4 expertly curated newsletters delivered monthly
- Customized website experience aligned to your health goals
- In-depth health guides on topics like sleep, exercise, and more
- Interactive features like videos and quizzes
- Members-only access to exclusive articles and resources
I’d like to subscribe to HHO+ for $4.99/month to access expert-backed content to help make smart, informed decisions about my well-being.
Sign Me UpAlready a member? Login ».
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
