Foundations of Behavior Genetics

Imagine that you are about to give a presentation in front of an auditorium full of people. As you walk to the podium, what physical sensations do you feel? Is your heart pounding? Are your palms sweaty? Do you feel a bit nauseous? What are you thinking about? Are you concerned that you might forget what you are planning to say, or that people will evaluate you negatively? Although it is very common to have such feelings and thoughts at the prospect of speaking in public, there are individual differences such that some people experience few if any negative feelings and thoughts, while others may experience so many that they find it difficult to speak even to a few people. Most of us are somewhere in between (Figure 10.1).