You're on a stage, lights hot and glaring, watching the large audience you’ll soon be addressing file in. How is your body reacting?

You’re most likely jittery, your heart pounding through your rib cage and your breath quickening. Your legs may very well be able to run a marathon at this moment. And—oh great—your mouth just became super dry.

These reactions are not exactly conducive to standing in place and addressing a crowd, right? You’re not alone. Fear of public speaking, or glossophobia, is estimated to affect 75 percent of adults.

But such reactions, as it turns out, are the body’s natural way of helping us cope with stressful situations. According to a new study published in Clinical Psychological Science, rethinking the way we perceive stress may actually improve our physical and mental performance.

In the study, 73 adults, half of whom met the diagnostic criteria for social anxiety disorder, underwent the Trier Social Stress Test. Designed to induce stress in a socially-evaluative situation, the test gives participants three minutes to prepare a five-minute speech about their strengths and weaknesses to two judges. Immediately following the speech, subjects must count backwards by sevens beginning with the number 996.

Before beginning the test, half of the participants were randomly assigned to read information regarding the evolutionary advantages of the body’s stress response. Specifically, they were informed that “the increase in arousal [they] may feel during stress is not harmful,” and that they should “reinterpret [their] bodily signals during the upcoming public speaking task as beneficial.” They also read summaries of three psychological studies that evaluated the benefits of stress.

The other half of the participants did not undergo this “anxiety preparation” task.

Purposely, the judges provided negative, non-verbal feedback throughout the speeches by head-shaking, stone-faced expressions, and tapping annoyingly on their clipboards. If the participant made a mistake, the judge instructed them to start over.

Before, during, and after the stress test, cardiovascular measures of heart rate and blood pressure were assessed in all participants.

Participants who did not undergo anxiety preparation showed a much greater cardiovascular stress response. The group that went into the stress test informed about the benefits of stress, on the other hand, reported feeling that they had more resources to cope with public speaking.

Jeremy Jamieson, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at University of Rochester, says that his work “shares the underlying concept that if you can alter cognitive factors, you can alter downstream outcomes.”

“Feelings of arousal, like sweaty palms or a racing heart that are typically construed negatively can instead be viewed as tools to help cope with acute stress,” he says.

Interestingly, despite greater fear of public speaking, individuals with social anxiety disorder did not show more physiological arousal than their non-anxious peers.

The authors conclude that our experiences of short-term stress are shaped by how we interpret our body. “Viewing one’s biological responses as beneficial will increased the ratio of perceived resources versus task demands,” says Jamieson. “Our reappraisal instructions focus on educating individuals that stress is an adaptive response.”

So the next time you feel the jitters of public speaking overtaking you, remind yourself that the human body is designed to help us cope with this stress, despite our trembling legs and dry mouths.

Above all, be grateful—this ability likely evolved when our ancestors had to outrun predators, not give speeches!

Jordan Gaines is a science writer and neuroscience grad student at Penn State College of Medicine. You can check out her blog, Gaines on Brains, and follow her at @GainesOnBrains.

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Are you reading this post instead of doing your damn taxes already? You are, aren't you? 

This means I can make a few educated guesses about you: You are perhaps a) not very conscientious -- procrastinators are less likely to be organized, dutiful or self-disciplined. Or maybe you're b) impulsive or easily distracted. It could also easily be that you're c) a perfectionist and have put off your taxes because it seems so very complicated and you're afraid you'll do it all wrong. Or maybe you owe money on taxes this year, in which case, no one blames you for putting them off. 

Meanwhile, your smug friend informs you (smugly) that she finished hers in February. Why do some of us suck it up and file our taxes promptly, and others put it off?

An estimated 20 to 25 percent of adults are chronic procrastinators, says Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago and the author of the 2010 book "Still Procrastinating: The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done." (Procrastinators who intended to use Turbo Tax got a surprise last night when the site went through intermittent service outages.)

The number one reason we procrastinate is obvious: we put off things we consider "aversive," which is the academic's way of saying we put off things that sound boring or complicated or generally unpleasant. Things like taxes.

"Nobody likes them! They're complicated, they require you to dig up things and you can't remember where they are, you fear you're not doing it correctly. Or you may be paying money! I think it's pretty normal for someone not to go get right down on their taxes," assures Tim Pychyl, a psychologist who studies procrastination. Pychyl writes the procrastination blog Don't Delay for Psychology Today, and is the author of the 2010 book "The Procrastinator's Digest: A Concise Guide to Solving the Procrastination Puzzle." 

Smug Friend, he says, may even have done her taxes early because she was putting off something else, a behavior psychologists refer to as structural procrastination. (As students, these kind of procrastinators might have organized a desk drawer instead of writing their term paper.) Maybe she had some truly terrible things on her to-do list in February, "so she did her taxes instead," suggests Pychyl. "It may not be the virtue (you) imagine it to be."

An early filer might also be what's called a defensive pessimist -- someone who imagines the worst possible situation and prepares as if it's bound to happen. A defensive pessimist envisions the last minute deadline panic and uses that anxiety to motivate himself or herself to do everything to avoid it. 

It's also possible that Smug Early Filing Friend is rightfully smug. "Some people are just wise enough to know that they're not going to feel more like doing it tomorrow. They recognize it for what it is, and they just get started," Pychyl says. One way to embrace this mindset next year, or for other projects you're likely to procrastinate on, is to just ask yourself, "What's the first thing I need to do?" Just a little bit of progress on step one will make you feel accomplished, which can be enough to fuel the next steps, says Pychyl.

"Just getting started is quite magical in its own way," he says. "Once we get started on an avoided task, we often scratch our heads and say, 'Why did I put this off?'" 

One last insight: We are really quite awful to our "future selves," according to a report Pychyl and a colleague just published in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass. Our weird minds create a disconnect between our "current self" and our "future self" -- it's like we imagine the latter to be a separate person, unrelated to our actual, current self. (There's actually a great example of this on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" where Ted and Marshall put off a complicated conversation by deciding they don't need to do it now; it's Future Ted and Future Marshall's problem. "Let's let those guys handle that," current Marshall says.) 

Pychyl says we could cut down on procrastination "if we could just start to imagine 'future self' as 'self.'" 

"If I can start to think of 'future self' a little bit more kindly, I can start getting more things done," he says. 

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I love home movies. I was lucky to grow up during the years where parents lugged gigantic, boxy camcorders over their shoulders to document our first toddles and words, and I recently reveled in watching myself grow up when my mom transferred all our old tapes to DVD.

I reveled, that is, until home-movie-me hit the teenage years—and then I cringed. Ugh…is that actually what my voice sounds like?

Yes, it is, unfortunately—and it’s what everyone else hears, too. So why does my recorded voice sound so unfamiliar to me?

Sound can enter our ears in one of two ways: air-conducted or bone-conducted.

Air-conducted sound—listening to a recording of oneself speaking, for example—is transmitted through the eardrums, vibrating three bony ossicles (malleus, incus and stapes) and terminating in the cochlea. The cochlea, a fluid-filled spiral structure, converts these vibrations into nerve impulses to be interpreted in the brain.

What we hear when we speak, however, is both air- and bone-conducted sounds. With bone-conducted sounds, vibrations from our vocal cords directly reach the cochlea. Our skulls deceive us by, in fact, lowering the frequency of these vibrations along the way, which is why we often perceive ourselves as higher-pitched when we listen to a recording.

“When [someone] listens to a recording of their voice speaking, the bone-conducted pathway that they consider part of their ‘normal’ voice is eliminated, and they hear only the air-conducted component in unfamiliar isolation—what everybody else actually hears,” says Dr. Chris Chang, an otolaryngologist at Fauquier Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants in Warrenton, Virginia.

That explains why we perceive our voices differently, but why do we dislike what we hear?

It’s kind of the same way we like what we see in the mirror, but not what we see in photographs.

We grow up getting used to all of our asymmetries as reflected in the mirror—parting our hair to the left, the little mole on our right cheek, that chip in our left incisor.  When we see a photo of ourselves, all of these tiny differences don’t match up with what our brain expects to see, so we dislike it.

Likewise, we live our lives hearing and perfecting our bone-conducted, but not air-conducted, voices.

“We never actually hear our voice like other people hear it, hence our surprise when hearing a recording,” says Pascal Belin, a professor of psychology at University of Glasgow whose research focuses on vocal perception. “We find it hard to believe it is actually our voice.”

Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, and Denzel Washington reportedly don’t watch their own movies. Maybe they’re perfectionists. Perhaps they over-analyze their performances.

Me? I’d watch my films—muted, with subtitles.

Jordan Gaines is a science writer and neuroscience grad student at Penn State College of Medicine. You can check out her blog, Gaines on Brains, and follow her at @GainesOnBrains.

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That cellphone feedback is driving me nuts!

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Reading this story will totally change your freaking life.

Ha. (Gotcha.) 

The rascally antics of April Fools' Day are exploiting yet again a realm that, somehow, has not been fully pranked-out by practical jokesters — the Internet, where today you may spot certain trending tomfoolery weeks in the planning. (And they say we have less free time.)

Like hundreds (thousands?) of fake Justin Biebers simultaneously tweeting via The Bieb’s icon and name.

Or, maybe (though highly, highly doubtful) Facebook will take the playful advice of many fans who suggest that, for one day, the site swap its status and search boxes so that all your friends can see who you’re about to stalk.

And, of course, there was loads of online chatter late last week about the upcoming launch of a sweet, new bacon-flavored Scope.

Why do we do these silly things? Why — and not just on April 1 — do we find such pleasure in punking our pals? According to Jonathan Wynn, a cultural sociologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, many of us get a swift psychological kick out of being the fooler and, for some, even the fool.

“Within a group, the jokester has always held a kind of magical status. I think of court jesters who were able to tease the king. These are people who gain an element of status as having a key role as being a prankster,” Wynn said. 

On the painful end of the gag, (otherwise known as "the butt"), some victims of community trickeration may grow immediately uncomfortable because they realize they're so susceptible to being duped — or, more broadly, that they are just plain vulnerable, according to a 2007 paper authored by three college professors and published in the Review of General Psychology, a journal of the American Psychological Association.

For many caper casualties, however, there is a sort of charm that comes with being targeted by well-schemed hijinks. 

When hierarchical groups such as law enforcement agencies or frat houses use certain tried-and-true shenanigans to momentarily embarrass newbies, the rough-housing is ultimately meant to bust down social boundaries and welcome fresh people into the group. In other words, it's meant to be flattering. 

"It's about how well you respond. It’s clearly a test," Wynn said. "If you can respond graciously to a prank, you become initiated as a member of the group."

Just remember that as you're pulling up your pants and wiping the whipped cream out of your ear holes. Or, simply utter the immortal words of Kevin Bacon in "Animal House" - "Thank you, sir! May I have another!"

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Elizabeth Narins, Women's Health

Should you accept a new job offer, or give your ex another chance? Before making a decision, distract yourself for a few minutes--you'll make a smarter choice, according to a new study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

Researchers described the features of four different cars to 27 adults. Then they separated the study participants into three groups: One group evaluated the cars right away, the second group rated the cars after thinking about the pros and cons, and the third group rated the cars after performing a distracting math-memory task. In the end, the distracted group chose the most wisely.

Even when distracted, the part of the brain that's responsible for learning information continues to be active, says study leader J. David Creswell, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. Meaning: You unconsciously consider your options while your attention goes elsewhere.

And that's a good thing--especially when you face a difficult decision like where to live. That's because it's easy for your conscious mind to get bogged down by the details, such as the cost of rent or location. "Your conscious mind has a capacity constraint--it can only think about a couple of features at once," says Creswell. "But your unconscious mind doesn't have these capacity constraints. It can weigh all relevant information more effectively."

You don't need to rely on your id for everyday decision-making, like whether to order the chicken or the fish. But if you want to pick like a pro, distract yourself for two minutes before you deliver a verdict. The most effective distractions are completely different from the original problem, says Creswell. His favorite trick to tune out: turn up your favorite music.

More from Women's Health:
17 Power Foods
The Depressing Truth About Sugary Drinks
31 Ways to Stress Less
The Fastest Way To Lose 10 Pounds

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Want more weird health news? Find The Body Odd on Facebook.

Hulton Archive via Getty Images, file

4th July 1776: The signatures on the Declaration of Independence, a document in which American colonists proclaimed their political separation from British rule. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

John Hancock must have been an egomaniac. Large signatures are common among narcissists, finds new research from the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School and the University of Maryland. The study examined the signatures of more than 600 CEOs and found that the most outsized signers were among the highest paid, but were also more likely to run their companies into the ground. Those factors indicate an inflated sense of self, a disregard for people's input, and other narcissistic tendencies, explains study author Nicholas Seybert, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Maryland. (Okay, it isn't a man's world anymore. Narcissism notwithstanding, are there any advantages to being guy?)

Past research shows large signatures reveal high self-esteem and social dominance among the general public. Why? People see a signature as a stand-in for themselves, and a bigger, more prominent moniker reveals a person's larger-than-average self-regard, the research explains. If you have a big autograph, you're not necessarily a narcissist--though you probably are an alpha male, Seybert says. But when applied to CEOs--a group already likely to favor people with inflated egos--big signatures are also likely to reveal narcissistic traits. (Avoid the 5 ways to ruin a first impression, and ace that crucial first date.)

Here are more strange clues into your personality.

If you love boiled eggs, you're more likely to be messy.
Boiled egg lovers are more disorganized and more likely to get divorced, shows a study of 1,100 people funded by the British Egg Industry Council and published by Mindlab International. Fried egg fans have the highest sex drive, the study finds. Poached-egg eaters are outgoing and happy, scrambled aficionados are guarded, and omelet lovers are self-disciplined, the study says.

If you drive a red car, you're more reckless.
People who drive red cars are more aggressive and reckless, shows a study from CW Marketing Research. The Oregon-based firm also found people with green cars have the most positive outlook on life, dark blue or silver-car owners are upbeat, and black car owners lack self-confidence. Why? A growing body of research shows certain visual cues--such as colors--are tied to emotional and behavioral cues in your brain. These cues can influence the colors you find appealing depending on your personality type, according to a University of Cambridge study. (And while you're in the car, make sure to eat smart. Grab a copy of Eat This, Not That! 2013 for your next road trip.)

If you have too many Post-it Notes, you're probably overwhelmed.
An empty or unpersonalized desk indicates a lack of dedication or job dissatisfaction, according to a University of Texas study. Excessive Post-it Notes mean you're overwhelmed, while a plant proves you have no plans to leave your gig, the UT study shows. The researchers say people see their personal space as extensions of themselves, and so how they arrange or design those spaces provide clues to their personalities. People who have candy bowls or lots of office supplies are more likely to be outgoing and social, and motivational items often reveal a worker who pushes himself, the study adds.

If you love Metallica, you're more likely to be lazy.
Classical, jazz, and heavy metal music lovers are all generally creative and at ease, but metal-heads are more likely to also be lazy and introverted, finds a study of 36,000 people from Scottish researchers. Blues fans tend to have high self-esteem, rap fans are pretty outgoing, and country lovers are generally hardworking, the study shows. Indie rock snobs tend to be harsh and lack self-esteem, the study found. (Discover the 6 crazy ways music improves your life.)

More from Men's Health: 
What Your Tweets Say About You
Find the Perfect Scent for Your Personality
What Your Drink Says About You

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Some of us were lucky enough to start the week with a paid day off (thanks, Presidents!). We started the workweek on Tuesday, excited for a short week and expecting the days to fly by. And instead ... they ... dragged. 

Why does a shorter workweek after a day off often end up feeling longer than a normal week? While no psychology research has directly examined the phenomenon, some evidence suggests that it's because we humans are easily thrown by disruptions in our routines. 

"If I had to venture a guess, I would say that it could be because four-day work weeks are much less common and are a deviation from the typical five-day work week," Marc Buehner, a psychologist at the U.K.'s Cardiff University who has studied the psychology of time perception, said in an email. "There are some laboratory studies that show that predictable events are perceived as shorter than unpredictable events."

Buehner points to an idea explored in a 2007 study published in the journal PLOS One: In one experiment, researchers showed participants a series of 10 images, nine of the same image with one oddball image thrown in. (For instance, the volunteers saw nine repeat images of a shoe and one image of a digital clock.) Each image flashed on a screen for 500 milliseconds. After watching the series of images, the study participants were asked whether the oddball image was on screen longer or shorter than the repeat images. Each one of them incorrectly thought the oddball image was on screen longer. 

But it's not just about the weird image sticking out just because it's, you know, weird. The idea works with any kind of predictable routine. "So if I present you with a stream of numbers, say, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 8 - 6 - 7, all with the same duration, the 8 would appear to have lasted longer than the other digits," Buehner explains. "One explanation why this happens is that perhaps the nervous system suppresses activation to predictable or familiar events. This would make evolutionary sense because it would exploit predictability to conserve resources."

This brings us back to the seemingly endless four-day workweek: It may feel longer because it screws with our weekday rituals.

"People might have certain routines that feel familiar to them," said Buehner. "They start the workweek on Monday with particular things -- a teacher might always teach the same class on Monday morning, for example. Now when they start on a Tuesday, the routine is different. Perhaps then this deviation from the standard of what is expected makes the week appear longer."

Related:

Believing time is money will make you miserable

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