comfort zone

The comfort zone is a psychological state in which a person feels familiar, at ease, in control, and experiences low anxiety. A person in this state uses a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk. Judith M. Bardwick, author of Danger in the Comfort Zone, defines ‘comfort zone’ as “a behavioral state where a person operates in an anxiety-neutral position”. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, describes the comfort zone 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.”. The comfort zone is the environment where satisfaction comes easily with little effort.