Motley Fool Money – “Thriving with Anxiety”
Date: February 15, 2026
Host: Jason Moser (Motley Fool, with intro/outro by Matt Grier)
Guest: Dr. David Rosmarin, Founder of The Center for Anxiety; Harvard Medical School Associate Professor; Author of Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You
Episode Overview
This episode explores how anxiety affects investors and everyday life, aiming to reframe anxiety from an enemy to a useful tool for growth, resilience, and connection. Dr. David Rosmarin joins Motley Fool analyst Jason Moser to discuss insights from his book and clinical work, offering practical ways to harness anxiety—not eliminate it—for better investing outcomes, relationships, and overall well-being.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Anxiety as an Epidemic: Trends and Causes
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Modern Context: Children today, even those considered healthy, have higher anxiety levels than psychiatric inpatients from the 1950s in the U.S.
- “Kids today think that if they have anxiety, then something is wrong with them and it takes them down the tubes... our culture tells us everything to the opposite, which is creating an anxiety epidemic.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 01:27)
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Cultural Differences: This is notably a U.S. phenomenon and less common in lower-income or developing nations.
2. Defining Anxiety: Threat Detection Gone Awry
- Anxiety as a False Positive: Anxiety often acts as a “false positive fear response.”
- Opportunity, Not Just Threat: Anxiety may signal areas for growth or opportunity.
- “Often we misinterpret anxiety as a problem when in fact it really is an opportunity. And that's not only the case fiscally...but it's also the case emotionally in terms of our relationships.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 02:24)
3. Emotions and Investing: Futility of Suppression
- Unavoidable Feelings: It’s unrealistic and unhelpful to try shutting down emotions, especially regarding money.
- “It's not going to happen. You're human and it's money. It's going to get to you...So I don't think the goal is to get it out of the equation. I think the goal is to learn how to harness it.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 03:32)
4. Fight or Flight versus Rest and Digest Systems
- Adrenaline fuels the “fight or flight” response, whereas acetylcholine mediates the “rest and digest” response.
- “If you're going to try to get rid of [anxiety], you're going to end up making bad decisions. Rather to know, like you're going to get walloped...accept that...the acetylcholine will actually move through your system and you'll start to calm.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 04:39)
5. Exposure Therapy & Discomfort
- What is Exposure Therapy?: Deliberately confronting anxiety triggers builds resilience, even in finance (e.g., writing out detailed fears about losing money).
- Why Discomfort? Attempting to blunt discomfort (e.g. with relaxation) can undermine the therapeutic process.
- “You're afraid of losing money. You're going to be writing out a script about what it's like to be dead poor...it's not fun, but that does build resilience.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 08:38)
6. Communication: Non-Verbals & the 90/10 Principle
- 90% of human communication, particularly important in business relationships, is non-verbal.
- “Almost all the time when interacting with other people, it's non verbals...like it just smooths over the relationship. So now you can actually get back to business.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 09:10)
7. Imposter Syndrome and Privilege
- The most challenging therapy cases are often highly privileged individuals who never faced adversity and thus never developed coping mechanisms.
- “Best looking, best educated, smartest children of super wealthy parents...never feel like they've earned it...never had to actually experience anxiety and all of a sudden they're facing some adversity and they're like, I can't, I just can't.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 10:35)
8. Anxiety as a Compass
- Anxiety signals what we care about and what matters most to us.
- (On parenting) “I am never not anxious. I'm never not worrying about that child. It is just constant and get ready to worry for the rest of your life.” (Jason Moser, 12:07)
- “Almost always what you care about will make you anxious. And if you want to be a hero in a certain area, you're going to have to face that adversity and that anxiety.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 20:28)
9. Lawnmower Parenting & Resilience
- Lawnmower parenting, an extreme form of risk avoidance, prevents children from developing coping skills and can cause loneliness.
- “Lawnmower parenting takes things a step further...paving the way in front of that said child by mowing the lawn in front of them...does not build resilience, does not build self confidence, does not build a sense of identity, and it doesn't build the ability to withstand the adversity...” (Dr. Rosmarin, 13:32)
10. Decoupling Efforts from Outcomes
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Investing (and life) always involves uncertainty; outcomes can’t be fully controlled, so focus should be on process and principles.
- “We live in the present. We do not live in the future...some degree of anxiety will be there unless we simply accept that that uncertainty is part of the package and we march forward into the darkness...” (Dr. Rosmarin, 15:40)
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“A guaranteed investment run, don't walk because it's just a lie. And that guarantee is intended to create…less anxiety in the short run...but really in the long run, that vulnerability is going to get exposed.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 16:59)
11. Spiritual Practices and Perspective Shifts
- Prayer, even for the non-religious, can provide a cognitive framework for accepting lack of control.
- “There's another piece...not religious, maybe even secular, which is appreciating and embracing the uncertainty and the lack of control that human beings have and being okay with it.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 18:00)
12. Anxiety and Meaningful Living
- The greatest personal achievements often involve, and are even fueled by, anxiety.
- “I've never met a super successful person who did not have significant anxiety about their success. And that's often what fuels them...able to tolerate it and nevertheless moving through the universe...” (Dr. Rosmarin, 20:28)
13. The Core Strategy: Connection
- The nine tools from the book revolve around connecting: to self, to others, and to something greater.
- “The entire thing is really about connection...in all three domains, it's about not being isolated and not being alone. And to me, that's really the pinnacle of dealing with anxiety, of thriving, and of being successful.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 21:52)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Anxiety as Opportunity:
“Often we misinterpret anxiety as a problem when in fact it really is an opportunity.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 02:24) -
On Emotional Suppression:
“Getting it out of the equation, that's superhuman. I actually don't think it's possible nor beneficial.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 03:32) -
On Lawn Mower Parenting:
“Lawnmower parenting...does not build resilience, does not build self confidence...and it doesn't build the ability to withstand the adversity and the vicissitudes of life.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 13:32) -
On Effort vs. Outcomes in Investing:
“We live in the present. We do not live in the future...some degree of anxiety will be there unless we simply accept that that uncertainty is part of the package...” (Dr. Rosmarin, 15:40) -
On Connection as the Ultimate Tool:
“The entire thing is really about connection...not being isolated and not being alone...that's really the pinnacle of dealing with anxiety, of thriving, and of being successful.” (Dr. Rosmarin, 21:52)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Anxiety in Modern Culture & Kids vs. 1950s (01:13–02:03)
- Defining Anxiety & ‘False Positive’ Fear Response (02:03–02:55)
- Emotions in Investing, Suppression Futility (03:32–04:11)
- Physiology of Anxiety: Fight/Flight, Rest/Digest (04:11–06:06)
- Exposure Therapy & Importance of Discomfort (07:08–08:50)
- 90/10 Principle in Communication (09:10–10:14)
- Imposter Syndrome & the Challenges of Privilege (10:14–11:49)
- Anxiety as a Compass: Parenting Example (12:00–13:13)
- Lawnmower Parenting and Lack of Resilience (13:13–15:00)
- Decoupling Effort from Outcomes in Investing (15:00–16:59)
- Power of Prayer: Spiritual & Secular Applications (17:44–19:42)
- Dealing with Anxiety to Live Meaningfully (19:42–21:25)
- The Book’s Nine Tools: Connection as a Central Theme (21:25–22:43)
Summary
Dr. David Rosmarin’s approach situates anxiety not as an inherent evil to be banished but as a core part of being human—a signal for what we value, a potential driver of growth, and a tool for forging connection. Suppressing or avoiding anxiety is neither possible nor useful, especially in investing; rather, acknowledging it, pushing through discomfort, and focusing on process and value-driven actions leads to genuine resilience. Whether in finance, family, or personal development, thriving with anxiety means embracing uncertainty and moving forward with compassion, self-awareness, and a willingness to connect.