Anxiety

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.

A surprising new study reveals a twist in the gut-brain connection. While anxiety and depression are linked to distinct gut bacteria, commonly prescribed medications show an even stronger association with microbiome changes than the mental health conditions themselves.

Among young adults, stress from election news was linked to higher risks of depression and anxiety, while pre-election anticipatory stress was linked to depression only. Stress about the election outcome was not associated with either condition.

Social anxiety weakens the link between irritability and bullying in adolescents—irritable teens are less likely to bully others if they also have social anxiety. This moderating effect was not seen with generalized anxiety or other forms of aggression.

Researchers have discovered that anxiety felt on Mondays is associated with higher long-term cortisol levels in older adults, suggesting the start of the week may contribute to biological stress in ways that extend far beyond the office.

Researchers at Stanford found that a six-minute guided meditation delivered through a VR headset lowered anxiety levels in parents of hospitalized children. The intervention outperformed standard relaxation methods, with Spanish-speaking caregivers experiencing the greatest benefit.