# Anxiety Comes With the Ability to Imagine the Future by Joseph LeDoux > “Ever since the phrase "the age of anxiety" entered the lexicon, each generation has claimed they have more to worry about than the previous one. But the fact is, anxiety is part of the human condition. It's the price we pay for having brain that makes predictions about things that haven't happened, the ability to see a future that is not necessarily foretold by the past.” > **— Joseph LeDoux**, *“Putting Our Anxieties To Work,” Edge Annual Question, 2013* ## Sources and Context - **Original or near-original source:** [“Putting Our Anxieties To Work,” Edge Annual Question, 2013](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/23824) — LeDoux treats anxiety as part of the human condition and argues later in the essay for using rather than eliminating it. The source wording “having brain” is preserved. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History|Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Ever since the phrase "the age of anxiety" entered the lexicon, each generation has claimed they have more to worry about than the previous one. But the fact is, anxiety is part of the human condition. It's the price we pay for having brain that makes predictions about things that haven't happened, the ability to see a future that is not necessarily foretold by the past.” — Joseph LeDoux, “Putting Our Anxieties To Work,” Edge Annual Question, 2013 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-joseph-ledoux-anxiety-imagine-future ```