My intuitive sense is that for most people, considering whether it is worth worrying about something which will come up regularly (especially with unknown frequency) bounds [amount of time wasted] from above with a constant, which should be beneficial in general. It sounds like an anxiety disorder could bloat this constant to the point of uselessness, in which case obviously the calculus would be different.
The trouble is when you spend a lot of time thinking, “How much should I worry about this specific thing?” I don’t know anyone who spends a significant time on “How much should I worry in general?”
Oh, sorry, I was trying to refer to “How much should I worry about this specific thing?” throughout; “How much should I worry in general” seems like kind of an ill-formed question, since worrying seems to take a lot of forms both productive and unproductive, and the optimal amount is probably highly dependent on circumstances.
My intuitive sense is that for most people, considering whether it is worth worrying about something which will come up regularly (especially with unknown frequency) bounds [amount of time wasted] from above with a constant, which should be beneficial in general. It sounds like an anxiety disorder could bloat this constant to the point of uselessness, in which case obviously the calculus would be different.
The trouble is when you spend a lot of time thinking, “How much should I worry about this specific thing?” I don’t know anyone who spends a significant time on “How much should I worry in general?”
Oh, sorry, I was trying to refer to “How much should I worry about this specific thing?” throughout; “How much should I worry in general” seems like kind of an ill-formed question, since worrying seems to take a lot of forms both productive and unproductive, and the optimal amount is probably highly dependent on circumstances.