# Panic Disables the Intelligence It Needs by Bryant McGill > “Panic disables the very intelligence it needs. Human beings are formidable problem solvers, and a body falling down a staircase will perform feats of balance it could never explain, but sustained fear narrows attention and crowds out judgment. In a crisis, the most valuable asset is a cool head.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *All Is Well Within When Pain Becomes a Seed of Change - Livestream (Oct 2015)* ## Sources and Context - **Source:** [[livestreams/All Is Well Within When Pain Becomes a Seed of Change - Livestream|All Is Well Within When Pain Becomes a Seed of Change - Livestream]] — exact quotation from the developed livestream document. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Analog Cognition and the Architecture of Continuity|Analog Cognition and the Architecture of Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems|Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems]] - **Livestream:** [[livestreams/All Is Well Within When Pain Becomes a Seed of Change - Livestream|All Is Well Within When Pain Becomes a Seed of Change - Livestream]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Stress and Cognition|Stress and Cognition]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Panic disables the very intelligence it needs. Human beings are formidable problem solvers, and a body falling down a staircase will perform feats of balance it could never explain, but sustained fear narrows attention and crowds out judgment. In a crisis, the most valuable asset is a cool head.” — Bryant McGill, All Is Well Within When Pain Becomes a Seed of Change - Livestream (Oct 2015) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-panic-disables-needed-intelligence ```