Hey there, Kilohertz!

To answer your question, it is a combination of all: your family history/ genetics, your patterns of thoughts and behavior, as well as your social environment (such as stress from job (increase anxiety), support from a loved one (reduce anxiety), etc.)

How anxiety works

You sense a threat (e.g. "I'm going to get into big trouble!") ---> Your brain picks that up as danger ---> Brain sends signal to your body to release stress hormones (cortisol + adrenaline) ---> Your body goes through fight/ flight response ---> You recognize this as anxiety (uncomfortable physical sensations)

The reason why you experience this is because it is a protective mechanism that keeps you away from danger. It is only meant to be a temporary reaction, until you are safe again. But, in modern day life, danger can come in various ways, and will stay for a long time (for example, financial worries, studying for an exam, etc).

So, this would mean that it can be beneficial for us to learn how to manage our stress response well in order to live a good quality of life.

Hope that helps!