You’re in the hot seat. Your palms are sweaty; voice is shaky; face is flushed; and mouth is dry. Maybe you’re bouncing your knees and talking too fast. Perhaps your heart is racing or your stomach is turning.

You’re nervous.

Why does this happen to so many job candidates?

“When we perceive that we are in a high stakes situation, the brain doesn’t distinguish the high stakes of a job interview–where it would help to be calm, cool and collected–from the high stakes of being under threat from attack (say, from a tiger),” says Dr. Tamar Chansky, author of Freeing Yourself from Anxiety. “The body responds the same way–gearing up to run or fight for our lives. We experience a myriad of highly inconvenient and uncomfortable reactions which would make complete sense if there really were a tiger there.”

Andy Teach, author of From Graduation to Corporation, and host of the YouTube channel FromGradToCorp, adds: “I think that nervousness prior to a job interview is caused mostly by the fact that there’s so much at stake. Getting a job, especially one you really want, can certainly impact your self-worth and general happiness. It enables you to pay your bills, save money, have health insurance, and do something every day that you look forward to doing. It makes you feel like you are contributing to the greater good of the company; that you are a part of something bigger than yourself.” Not getting the job could put you in a weak financial position, lower your self-worth, and, in some cases, put you in a make-or-break situation. This all creates a lot of stress and pressure on the job candidate, which results in nervousness, he says.

Read more |forbes.com