Summary: A new large-scale study finds that the long-observed “unhappiness hump,” where mental distress peaked in midlife, has disappeared. Instead, younger people now report the highest levels of anxiety, depression,…
Category: anxiety
Highly Sensitive People Face Greater Mental Health Risks
Summary: A large-scale meta-analysis of 33 studies has shown that highly sensitive individuals are more prone to common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and avoidant personality disorder. Sensitivity…
Inflammation Influences Cannabis’s Effects on Anxiety and Sleep
Summary: A new study shows that inflammation levels influence how cannabis affects anxiety and sleep quality. Researchers found no overall change in inflammatory markers after 4 weeks of cannabis use,…
Low Sodium Linked to Anxiety Through Brain Chemistry Disruption
Summary: Chronic hyponatremia—long viewed as symptomless—is now shown to disrupt brain chemistry and cause anxiety-like behaviors, according to a new study in mice. Researchers found that prolonged low sodium levels…
Married Minds: Oral Microbiota May Mediate Shared Anxiety
Summary: A new study suggests that oral microbiota transmission between newlywed couples may influence the onset of depression and anxiety symptoms. Researchers observed that healthy spouses of partners with insomnia,…
Shared Brain Circuit Links Insomnia, Anxiety, and Depression
Summary: A large brain imaging study suggests that insomnia, depression, and anxiety, often co-occurring, share overlapping brain abnormalities. Researchers found reduced cortical surface area, smaller thalamic volume, and weaker brain connectivity…
Anxiety and Apathy Affect Decision-Making in Opposite Ways
Summary: A new study reveals that anxiety and apathy lead to fundamentally different patterns in decision-making under uncertainty. Anxious individuals perceive their environment as highly volatile, leading them to explore…