You know the feeling. Your heart starts drumming against your ribs like a frantic bird. Your palms get a little slick. Maybe you’re about to walk onto a stage, or perhaps you’re just waiting for a text back from someone you actually like. We call it being excited. But if you stop and think about it, the physical sensation is almost identical to being terrified. So, what does excited mean, really?
It’s an emotional state of high arousal.
Physiologically, excitement is a full-body takeover. When we talk about what it means to be excited, we aren’t just talking about a "good mood." We are talking about a specific cocktail of neurochemicals—mostly dopamine and norepinephrine—flooding your system. It is the biological equivalent of flooring the gas pedal while the car is in neutral. You aren't necessarily moving yet, but the engine is screaming.
The Biology of the Buzz
Most people think excitement is purely mental. It isn’t.
When your brain perceives something as "exciting," the hypothalamus triggers the adrenal glands. Out comes the adrenaline. Your pupils dilate to let in more light. Your liver releases a surge of glucose because your body thinks you might need to run a marathon or fight a tiger, even if you’re just sitting on your couch watching a movie trailer.
Harvard Business School researcher Alison Wood Brooks has done some fascinating work on this. She looked at "anxiety reappraisal." Since the physical markers of anxiety and excitement are nearly the same—fast heart rate, butterflies, sweaty hands—she found that telling yourself "I am excited" instead of "I am calm" actually improves performance. It’s easier to pivot from one high-arousal state (fear) to another (excitement) than it is to force yourself to go from 100 to 0.
Basically, excitement is a choice of interpretation.
It’s the "fight or flight" system rebranded as "let’s go." If you’ve ever wondered why some people love rollercoasters while others want to vomit at the sight of them, it comes down to how their brain labels that surge of norepinephrine. One person sees a threat; the other sees a thrill.
Why We Chase the High
Dopamine is the star of the show here. Contrary to popular belief, dopamine isn't just about pleasure. It’s about anticipation.
Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky often discusses how dopamine levels in monkeys spike the most during the period between a signal and the reward. Not the reward itself. The "maybe." The "it's coming." That is the essence of what excited means. It is the gap between wanting and having.
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That’s why the night before a vacation often feels better than the actual vacation. Your brain is marinating in the possibility.
- Anticipatory Joy: The feeling of "I can't wait."
- Physiological Arousal: The shaking hands and fast pulse.
- Cognitive Focus: A narrowing of attention where the thing you’re excited about becomes the only thing that matters.
When Excited Means "Danger" (The Physics Version)
We also use the word in science, and it’s honestly a great metaphor for our feelings. In quantum mechanics or chemistry, an "excited state" is what happens when an atom or nucleus possesses more energy than its ground state.
An electron absorbs energy. It jumps to a higher shell.
It’s unstable. It can’t stay there forever. Eventually, it has to release that energy and drop back down. Human excitement works the same way. You cannot live in a state of perpetual excitement; your "ground state" is where you recover. If you stay "excited" for too long, we stop calling it excitement and start calling it burnout or chronic stress.
The Nuance of Positive vs. Negative Arousal
Sometimes people use "excited" as a euphemism for being agitated.
In clinical settings, a patient might be described as "behaviorally excited." This isn't happy-birthday-party excitement. It’s a state of overstimulation where the person is restless, pacing, or talking a mile a minute. It’s the darker side of the coin.
Think about the phrase "don't get too excited." Usually, someone says this when they want you to stay level-headed. They recognize that excitement, while fun, often clouds judgment. It makes us impulsive. We make big promises we can't keep. We buy things we don't need.
Why? Because the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for logic—takes a backseat when the emotional centers are firing at full capacity.
The Social Component of Shared Energy
Excitement is contagious. There is a reason sports stadiums exist.
Emotional contagion is a real psychological phenomenon. When you see someone else in a high-arousal state, your mirror neurons fire. You start to mimic their physiology. If your best friend is vibrating with excitement about a new job, you’ll likely find your own heart rate ticking up. It’s a survival mechanism. In the wild, if the guy next to you got excited/alert, you needed to be alert too.
Now, we just use it to enjoy concerts and product launches.
Does Everyone Feel It the Same?
No. Not even close.
In some cultures, "excited" isn't the gold standard for happiness. Psychologist Jeanne Tsai from Stanford University has studied "Affect Valuation Theory." She found that while North American cultures tend to value "high-arousal positive affect" (excitement, elation), many East Asian cultures place a higher value on "low-arousal positive affect" (calm, serenity, peace).
So, what does excited mean to you? It might mean success. To someone else, it might just feel like a loss of self-control.
How to Manage the "Excitement Hangover"
Since excitement is a high-energy state, the "crash" is inevitable.
When the dopamine recedes and the adrenaline clears, you’re often left feeling depleted. This is why people get the "post-holiday blues" or feel depressed the Monday after a big wedding. Your body is rebalancing its chemistry.
Honestly, the best way to handle this is to recognize it for what it is: biological bookkeeping. You borrowed energy from tomorrow to feel amazing today. Now, tomorrow has arrived, and it’s time to pay the bill.
Actionable Insights for Using Excitement to Your Advantage
Instead of letting excitement just "happen" to you, you can actually steer it. It's a tool, not just a mood.
- Relabel your nerves. The next time you have a big presentation or a scary first date, don't tell yourself to "calm down." It won't work. Instead, say "I’m excited." It tricks your brain into viewing the physiological surge as an asset rather than a threat.
- Watch for the "Impulse Window." If you’re feeling intensely excited, wait 24 hours before signing any contracts or making major purchases. Your logic center is currently offline. Give it time to boot back up.
- Use it for the "Grit" tasks. Excitement is great for starting things, but terrible for finishing them. Use the initial burst of energy to do the hard work of planning and launching. When the excitement fades, rely on systems to carry you to the finish line.
- Check your baseline. If you find yourself unable to feel excited about things that used to thrill you (anhedonia), it might be more than just "being tired." It’s often a primary symptom of clinical depression or severe burnout.
Excitement is basically your body's way of saying "pay attention, this matters." Whether it's the jitters before a kiss or the rush of a promotion, it's the flavor of being fully alive. Just remember that the "ground state" is where you actually live; the excitement is just the occasional, beautiful jump to a higher orbit.
To better manage these spikes, track your "high-arousal" moments over a week. Note what triggered them and how long the subsequent "crash" lasted. Understanding your personal cycle of arousal helps you predict when you'll need rest and when you're primed for peak performance.