No wonder investors ended 2011 in a state of acute anxiety, abandoning entire markets and choosing instead to crowd into a shrinking pool of supposedly safe assets.

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America was in the throes of a national state of anxiety over the Soviet Union's launch of its Sputnik space satellites.

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The toll that living in such a heightened state of fear, anxiety and stress can have on a person is also well-documented.

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"It's a very provocative observation to say that one's state of anxiety at a fixed point in time can in some way foretell an increased risk of cardiovascular disease 20 years down the road, " says Dr. Gregory Dehmer, M.

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Palestinians who are still in favor of a two-state solution and who have worked with Israelis over the years watch the elections with anxiety.

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