As to the last it's not necessarily true about the evil god being the cause of current anxiety. But it sounds neat.

It is an anxiety loop with the amygdala getting continously tweaked that unfortunately gets going in so many people eventually I think, perhaps. It might be related to "refusing" to the play The Game. This because just look at history, endless absurdities/atrocities; refusing to take part in The Game is a matter of morals.

But actually you're stuck playing it whether you like it or not, so it's a matter of just playing it well or very badly. If you accept The Game, I think you can probably handle the potentially anxiety causing stuff much, much better along with being far more likely to be wealthy and "successful".

And then what one can do is play it well right up to the point of seemingly "winning" and then stopping just short of the finish line... for some reason. What reason? You stop running right before you've "won" and find it so so hard to take another stride forward. Is it morals? Is it the "evil god"?

I reminded of Poe's The Scyth of Time; his manservant not being able to take the last step to the top floor of the clock tower. I was less conscious last I read that story. My interpretation back then though was similar to the above.

http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2008/11/112308-planet-of-the-neanderthals.html
And then there is the "writing" concept of balance. You can see it here (IMO) with Byrne. Or I'm reminded of his talking song on Remain in Light about people forcing their faces to look how they want them to but making mistakes. I'm also reminded of Vance again I think in the same story about determining the next Leader of the Galaxy.

There is the idea of questioning the status quo while simultaneously seeming humble in the case of Byrne and then with Vance the idea of eitehr questioning the established way and/or being way better than everyone else while simultaneously obediently following rules and/or being humble.

Because as the person reads this, the questioning of the status quo distresses them on some level, no matter how much they personally actually like to question the status quo themselves, thus there must be a balance. With every bold step forward the amygdala..? must be soothed.

But that may not really be it at all of course. Just one definition that could have some success to remember despite it not necessarily actually being true at all. It could simply be the feeling of examining multiple points and/or showing that you do understand multiple points. So the person arrogant enough to question can still be humble for example.