Comfort zone

This article is about the psychological meaning. For other uses, see Comfort zone (disambiguation).
A Venn diagram of Comfort zone outside of which the optimal performance zone is present. Danger zone is marked in red.

A comfort zone is a familiar psychological state where people are at ease and (perceive they are) in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress.

Judith Bardwick defines the term as "a behavioral state where a person operates in an anxiety-neutral position."[1] Brené Brown describes it as "Where our uncertainty, scarcity and vulnerability are minimized—where we believe we'll have access to enough love, food, talent, time, admiration. Where we feel we have some control."[2]

  1. ^ Bardwick, Judith M. (1995). Danger in the Comfort Zone: From Boardroom to Mailroom--how to Break the Entitlement Habit That's Killing American Business. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. ISBN 978-0-8144-7886-8.
  2. ^ Tugend, Alina (11 February 2011). "Tiptoeing Out of One's Comfort Zone (and of Course, Back In)". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 December 2014.