Anxiety

A new study suggests that personality traits like neuroticism and openness to experience may shape how severely people experience insomnia. But anxiety appears to explain much of the link, pointing to a more complex psychological pathway than previously assumed.

Adolescent rats treated with a progestin-only contraceptive showed long-lasting impairments in fear extinction, according to a new study. Combined contraceptives did not have this effect, indicating that hormone formulation and timing may shape how the brain processes fear and safety.

New research suggests that group singing may help protect older adults from depression and anxiety. In a randomized trial, choral singing was as effective as a health education program in reducing the risk of affective disorders over a two-year period.

Adults with anxiety who used cannabis reacted more strongly to stress but also bounced back more effectively. The study, published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, examined real-world cannabis use and emotional processing.

Researchers have found that insecure attachment is linked to higher levels of social anxiety. The study, drawing on data from over 21,000 participants across 42 studies, provides evidence that attachment patterns are related to mental health in significant ways.

Cancer patients with major depression experienced significant and long-lasting improvements after just one psilocybin session, according to new research. Two years later, many showed continued reductions in depression and anxiety, with some requiring no further treatment or medication.

A new study published in Personality and Individual Differences suggests that people with lower anxiety and higher perseverance are more responsive to long-term consequences when making decisions. Those with greater anxiety or low motivation tend to favor short-term emotional relief...

A large-scale study of twins has found that long-term anxiety traits in young adults are largely shaped by genetics, while short-term changes are more influenced by life experiences. The research also identified two distinct patterns of anxiety symptoms.

A study of adults with anxiety found that cannabis products with higher cannabidiol (CBD) content tended to improve mood and sleep regardless of inflammation, while the effects of THC-dominant cannabis varied with participants’ baseline inflammatory status.

Researchers have found that children and young adolescents with higher anxiety tend to generalize negative memories more after sleep, raising questions about how nighttime memory processes could reinforce anxiety-related thought patterns during a sensitive developmental stage.

A new study finds that fathers’ anxiety during pregnancy and early infancy is linked to higher risks of emotional and behavioral problems in their children, highlighting the importance of paternal mental health in shaping early developmental outcomes.

A new study suggests that lucid dreaming might help people reduce fear by allowing them to confront frightening scenarios in their sleep. Participants who faced their fears during lucid dreams often reported feeling less afraid after waking up.

People with high social anxiety were better at spotting subtle angry expressions and showed stronger brain responses during later stages of processing, suggesting they pay more attention to ambiguous signs of social threat.

Researchers found that social anxiety symptoms increase the risk of becoming lonely over time. In contrast, people who felt lonely at the beginning of the study were no more likely to develop social anxiety five years later.

A new brain imaging study finds that adolescents with highly anxiety-sensitive parents show distinct neural responses during emotional tasks. The findings suggest that parent traits may shape how children attend to and manage emotional experiences, potentially influencing future mental health.