In and Out of the Comfort Zone: Cognitive Ease and Strain
Comfort Zone generally refers to an environment, real or figurative, in which a person feels comfortable and in control, safe in any way, from having a secure source of food to feeling loved and appreciated.
According to Bardwick, the comfort zone is characterized by low levels of stress and anxiety.
However, dwelling constantly in the comfort zone is not as good as it may appear.
New things, ones to discover or to learn are often beyond the zone and need a little dose of courage and effort to be reached.
White defines two more outer zones: while in the comfort zone a steady level of performance is ensured, outside there is the Optimal Performance Zone, in which performance may be enhanced by a controlled level of stress. An even higher level of stress leads to anxiety and makes the performance decrease rapidly: Danger Zone.
The target should then be maximizing the time spent in the optimal zone or, equivalently, enlarge the two inner zones.
So, wherever you read something like “exit your comfort zone if you want to [insert your aim here]”, remember that is more advisable to enlarge it instead.
