Why Not Feeling Anxiety Is Not a Good Idea
Anxiety is an inherent human emotion, an adaptive response that helps us deal with challenges and risky situations. Although anxiety can become overwhelming and interfere with daily life, as in the case of anxiety disorders, it plays a very important role in alerting us to potential threats. In this post, we delve deeper into this complex emotional world and its various disorders, providing valuable insights to understand and manage this condition. But let’s start at the beginning: why is feeling no anxiety not a good idea?
Neural Bases and Adaptive Function of Anxiety
Anxiety plays a crucial role in human survival, allowing for a quick and appropriate response to potentially threatening situations. Memories associated with these situations often occur outside of consciousness and are called implicit memories. These memories are manifested as signals in our body in the form of physiological reactions, such as an increase in heart rate, sweaty palms, and in the form of tendencies for action, such as fight or flight. Thanks to these bodily signals, we can avoid or properly handle real and potential dangers.
The human brain has an intricate threat response circuit. Different brain regions play crucial roles in generating and regulating fear and anxiety. The amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the temporal lobe, is central in this circuit, acting as an initial “alarm,” detecting signs of danger and triggering immediate emotional reactions. The central nucleus of the amygdala coordinates behavioral responses, such as the freezing reaction in situations of extreme fear and other endocrine defense responses. The lateral amygdala, on the other hand, is responsible for the learning of conditioned fear responses — those that we learn by associating a neutral stimulus with an aversive stimulus, such as what may occur in a traumatic situation like an armed robbery, where we associate the street where we were robbed (neutral stimulus) with the life-threatening situation (unconditioned aversive stimulus). Additionally, it is also responsible for storing these learnings in long-term memory.
The amygdala also influences the hippocampus, another important area responsible for memory formation. The hippocampus helps us distinguish in which contexts we should prepare for a threat and in which we can remain calm. Furthermore, the prefrontal cortex, especially the ventromedial region, plays a critical role in regulating emotional responses. It helps modulate the intensity of fear and anxiety reactions, allowing for more rational assessments of threatening situations. The interaction between the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex forms a complex network that coordinates our emotional responses, enabling us to discern and react adaptively to real or perceived threats in the environment. Therefore, the threat-defense system in our brain which plays a crucial role in anxiety is very important to keep us safe. It definitely wouldn’t be a great idea to turn it off, as you will see next.
The Patient Who Didn’t Feel Anxiety
The case study of patient S.M. illustrates the dysfunctions that can arise when there is a bilateral amygdala lesion. S.M. was a patient who had this brain region destroyed due to a rare genetic condition. The case of S.M. exemplifies the fundamental role of the amygdala in mediating appropriate emotional responses to danger.
S.M. showed a notable lack of fear and anxiety responses in situations that would normally elicit these emotions, such as holding snakes or looking at threatening images. Additionally, she was described as a very outgoing, friendly person with a great ease in trusting others. She had impairments in recognizing fearful facial expressions and difficulty in judging whether people were trustworthy or not based on their facial expressions. Furthermore, she seemed to have an inadequate sense of personal space in her interactions. In a way, it’s as if the bodily responses associated with the feeling of fear were absent, significantly interfering with her functioning.
Through the study of S.M. and similar cases, researchers were able to identify the amygdala as a central piece in the neural network that underpins the fear response, emphasizing its adaptive function in human evolution and functioning.
Key Anxiety Disorders and Their Characteristics
Although adaptive, our threat response system can be a problem when constantly activated in safe situations. There are several anxiety disorders and these are widely studied. Here are some examples.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): People with GAD experience chronic and excessive anxiety about various areas of life, such as work, family, and health. Constant worries and difficulty in controlling these thoughts are marked characteristics of this disorder.
Panic Disorder: Characterized by sudden and intense bouts of fear, accompanied by physical symptoms like palpitations, trembling, and sweating. The person may start to avoid places or situations where the attacks have occurred before.
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Also known as social phobia, this disorder involves an overwhelming fear of being judged or negatively evaluated by others. This can lead to avoiding social interactions and isolation.
Specific Phobia: Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an intense and irrational fear of a specific object, animal, situation, or activity. People with this disorder experience extreme anxiety when confronted with the feared object or situation, often avoiding them at all costs.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Characterized by intrusive and distressing thoughts (obsessions) that lead to repetitive and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) as a way to alleviate anxiety.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Triggered by intense traumatic experiences, such as accidents, assaults, abuse, or combat situations. Individuals with PTSD may relive the traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts, experiencing significant emotional distress. They may avoid trauma-related stimuli and show significant changes in mood, cognition, and reactivity.
Seeking Professional Help and Treatment
The good news is that anxiety disorders are treatable. Psychotherapy is a widely used approach with a robust body of evidence regarding its effectiveness for these disorders. Additionally, in some cases, medication can be a useful option, especially when anxiety is severely debilitating.
Self-Care and Management Strategies
In addition to professional treatment, there are many strategies you can adopt to manage anxiety in your day-to-day life. Engaging in physical exercise, practicing deep breathing techniques, meditation, maintaining a balanced diet, and seeking social support are ways to strengthen your emotional resilience.
Although these strategies are very important they may not be sufficient when dealing with an anxiety disorder. In this case, it is crucial to seek help. Understanding how anxiety functions in you with the help of a professional can be the first step toward a more balanced and fulfilling life. Remember that you are not alone on this journey and that there are qualified professionals ready to offer the support needed to overcome these challenges.
READING SUGGESTIONS:
“The Worry Cure” by Robert Leahy. This book is written for lay people and explains anxiety and its disorders in a very clear and accessible way.
“The Emotional Brain” by Joseph Ledoux. This is a historically important book, which brings emotion back to the center of the debate about anxiety in neuroscience.
“Anxious” by Joseph Ledoux. This book is quite technical. It is recommended for psychology or neuroscience students interested in a broader understanding of anxiety.
