Horses are used as therapy animals for those suffering anxiety and stress issues. This is because horses have a basic and consistent anxiety reflex. The horse feels the energy of the person and responds in a consistent manner. Thus the horse can be used as an emotional mirror for people to gauge their own emotional condition.

Humans can feel the emotional energy of others as well, and we too have reflexes to our own emotions as well as to what we sense in others. However, our reflexes can be far more complex and vary depending on our situation and condition.

I am very typical. My initial response to anxiety is to become quiet and shrink, but if I cannot escape I will busy myself with chores. There are people in my life who have learned how to use and manipulate that trait by intentionally making the environment stressful. 

There is also a situation I have witnessed, of people who have a genuine anxiety reflex of being assertive and bossy. It is not intentional and they are often not aware of their own motivation, and can even be embarrassed by their own behavior. However, if they become coupled with a person whose reflex is to be busy, the two complementary anxiety reflexes tend to create an inescapable cyclone of anxiety and frustration.