Is there any connection between adrenaline and nervousness?

Answer 1

Adrenaline is a "fight or flight" hormone associated with the sympathetic nervous system in the human body. This means that if you need to do alot of physical exertion or think fast, the body diverts resources to the relevant areas. This is usually an automatic survival response when the brain reckons it's entering a situation of danger, so is preparing itself; e.g. pumps more blood around to oxygenate muscles, liberate more energy from stores, puts muscles on edge for quick use, etc. A situation of nervousness is interpreted by the body as danger, so the above system is activated, releasing adrenaline, giving the characteristic fast heart, twitchy muscles, and an inability to relax. In today's modern society, it's an evolutionary survival mechanism which was important in more dangerous times gone by, but can be useful sometimes, like when you do encounter a genuinely dangerous situation.