--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In classic experiments on stress, people…" description: "\"“In classic experiments on stress, people performed tasks that required concentration, like solving puzzles, while being blasted at random intervals wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/sheryl-sandberg-439_anxiety_in-classic-experiments-on-stress-people_1584343.jpg" --- # In classic experiments on stress, people performed tasks… ![“In classic experiments on stress, people performed tasks that required concentration, like solving puzzles, while being blasted at random intervals with uncomfortably loud sounds. They started sweating and their heart rates and blood pressure climbed. They struggled to focus and made mistakes…” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/sheryl-sandberg-439_anxiety_in-classic-experiments-on-stress-people_1584343.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/sheryl-sandberg-439_anxiety_in-classic-experiments-on-stress-people_1584343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/sheryl-sandberg-439_anxiety_in-classic-experiments-on-stress-people_1584343.jpg) > ““In classic experiments on stress, people performed tasks that required concentration, like solving puzzles, while being blasted at random intervals with uncomfortably loud sounds. They started sweating and their heart rates and blood pressure climbed. They struggled to focus and made mistakes. Many got so frustrated that they gave up. Searching for a way to reduce anxiety, researchers gave some of the participants an escape. If the noise became too unpleasant, they could press a button and make it stop. Sure enough, the button allowed them to stay calmer, make fewer mistakes, and show less irritation. That's not surprising. But here's what is: none of the participants actually pressed the button. Stopping the noise didn't make the difference...knowing they could stop the noise did. The button gave them a sense of control and allowed them to endure the stress.”” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Knowing you can control a stressor reduces anxiety more than actually removing it; perceived control improves performance and emotional resilience. **In simple terms:** Control over stress reduces anxiety more than stopping stress itself. Key Takeaway Focus on perceived control to manage stress. Themes psychology stress management control performance resilience Mood anxious hopeful reflective Type motivational inspirational psychological When to use this quote - workplace deadlines - exam preparation - public speaking - medical procedures - traffic jams Key Concepts perceived control stress response cognitive appraisal Questions to Reflect On - How can you create a sense of control when real control is limited? - What are the risks of relying on perceived control alone? A Different Perspective If actual control is unavailable, perceived control may be illusory and lead to frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) ## Related quotes > [“Stop that, please. This isn’t the time or the place for that… stop with the noise, seriously, I can’t concentrate. Damn it, fine. I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knox/stop-that-please-this-isn-t-the-time-or-the-place-for-that-stop-with/) Caroline Knox > [“As I asked more pointed questions about the choices and behaviors Wholehearted men and women made to reduce anxiety, they explained that reducing anxiety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/as-i-asked-more-pointed-questions-about-the-choices-and-behaviors/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“By clarifying what remains, you also gain an understanding of what is left in your life once you discard these negative items. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/by-clarifying-what-remains-you-also-gain-an-understanding-of-what-is/) [Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/) > [“Defenses are psychological strategies we use to keep us safe. They help us cope and reduce our anxiety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-impellizzeri/defenses-are-psychological-strategies-we-use-to-keep-us-safe-they/) Shirley Impellizzeri > [Never stress over people in your past...There's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-stress-over-people-in-your-past-there-s-a-reason-why-they-didn/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't stress at all. When other people say, 'I'm having a bad day,' I ask, 'How can you have a bad day for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cloris-leachman/i-don-t-stress-at-all-when-other-people-say-i-m-having-a-bad-day-i/) [Cloris Leachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cloris-leachman/) > [Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patch-adams/nature-tops-the-list-of-potent-tranquilizers-and-stress-reducers-the/) [Patch Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patch-adams/) > [“We develop ulcers, high blood pressure, headaches, and other physical problems in part because our stress systems aren’t designed to handle the “dangers” of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-berkun/we-develop-ulcers-high-blood-pressure-headaches-and-other-physical/) [Scott Berkun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-berkun/) > [ “Japanese researchers at Chiba University found that a daily fifteen minute walk in the woods caused significant decreases in cortisol \[a stress hormone\], along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/japanese-researchers-at-chiba-university-found-that-a-daily-fifteen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think at times of significant stress people are going to be looking for something and they don't always know exactly what it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-at-times-of-significant-stress-people-are-going-to-be-looking/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to stress to people to be themselves instead of trying to be like others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karrueche-tran/i-want-to-stress-to-people-to-be-themselves-instead-of-trying-to-be/) [Karrueche Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karrueche-tran/) > [I dont stress over people, if you want to walk out of my life , feel free it dont affect me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dont-stress-over-people-if-you-want-to-walk-out-of-my-life-feel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let's say you have to catch a plane, and you are packing your suitcase and moving fast. Most people would call that stress. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-s-say-you-have-to-catch-a-plane-and-you-are-packing-your-suitcase/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Don't stress about people who don't deserve room in your heart or thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-volney/don-t-stress-about-people-who-don-t-deserve-room-in-your-heart-or/) [Krystal Volney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-volney/) > [Life is too short to stress yourself with those people who do not even deserve to be an issue in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-too-short-to-stress-yourself-with-those-people-who-do-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Go to a playground: Little girls get called 'bossy' all the time, a word that's almost never used for boys. And that leads directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/go-to-a-playground-little-girls-get-called-bossy-all-the-time-a-word/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“One of my favorite quotes comes from author Alice Walker, who observed, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/one-of-my-favorite-quotes-comes-from-author-alice-walker-who-observed/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Survivor guilt is a thief of joy—yet another secondary loss from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/survivor-guilt-is-a-thief-of-joy-yet-another-secondary-loss-from-death/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In classic experiments on stress, people performed tasks that required concentration, like solving puzzles, while being blasted at random intervals with uncomfortably loud sounds. 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