Anxiety is an emotion that plays a critical role in human life. It basically keeps individuals alert to potential threats. In the modern world, many factors can trigger anxiety, such as work stress, academic pressures, future anxiety, economic difficulties, and social relationships. But the origins of this emotion are not only rooted in the pressures of modern life. According to evolutionary psychology, anxiety is a fundamental mechanism that helped our ancestors survive for millions of years. In this article, we will explore the evolutionary origins of anxiety, its functionality in the modern world, and how individuals can manage it.
Evolutionary Origins of Anxiety
In primitive times, humans’ ability to recognize threats in their environment and react quickly was a critical skill for survival. Studies in the field of evolutionary psychology show that anxiety provides an advantage for human survival (Buss, 2019). For example, the thought that an unknown sound coming from a bush might signal a predator has caused the individual to be cautious and prepare to flee or hide. This biological response is called the “fight or flight” response (LeDoux, 1996).
Neuroscientific Perspective: The Role of the Amygdala
From a neuroscientific perspective, one of the most important processors of anxiety in the brain is the amygdala. The amygdala is a brain region that perceives threats and alarms the body and is the region where the feeling of fear occurs (Davis & Whalen, 2001). In primitive times, rapid stimulation of the amygdala strengthened the individual’s reflex to flee or fight. However, in the modern world, this system can sometimes overwork and lead to anxiety disorders.
Anxiety in the Modern World: Abstract Threats
Anxiety reactions, which provide a survival advantage in the evolutionary process, can sometimes become difficult for individuals today. While for our ancestors, anxiety usually focused on physical threats, in the modern world, abstract threats have become the main factors that trigger anxiety (Stein & Nesse, 2015). Financial uncertainties, academic achievement expectations, social media pressure, and career concerns are governed by systems that triggered physical survival mechanisms in the past.
Anxiety disorders can be caused by mechanisms in our brain that have historically provided a survival advantage but are not fully adapted to today’s conditions. For example, an individual’s body may react to intense work stress by releasing cortisol and adrenaline as if preparing to flee from a predator. However, anxieties in the modern world usually do not require a sudden escape, so this physiological response can have negative effects on an individual’s health.
Cognitive and Emotional Effects of Anxiety
Anxiety has important effects on both cognitive and emotional levels. At the cognitive level, intense anxiety can direct an individual’s attention to negative stimuli and make problem-solving skills difficult. This can increase the individual’s perception of threat, causing them to see things as more dangerous than they really are. For example, a student experiencing test anxiety may believe that getting a low grade will ruin his/her life and thus negatively affect his/her performance.
On an emotional level, anxiety can cause the individual to be in a constant state of uneasiness. Chronic anxiety is linked to depression and other psychological disorders (Clark & Beck, 2010). Therefore, managing anxiety properly is crucial for an individual’s mental health.
Managing Anxiety: Scientific Approaches
Today, psychologists recommend various scientific methods to manage evolutionarily ingrained anxiety mechanisms. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of them. CBT helps individuals to recognize their anxious thoughts and make these thoughts healthier and more functional (Clark & Beck, 2010).
In addition, mindfulness-based approaches (such as mindfulness) stand out as an effective method in the management of anxiety. Mindfulness aims to make the individual aware of the present moment and avoid excessive worry about the future (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Research shows that regular mindfulness practices are effective in reducing anxiety.
Conclusion: Understanding and Addressing Anxiety
Anxiety is a mechanism inherited from the human evolutionary past and is part of a critical system that enabled our ancestors to survive. While the brain’s threat perception and response systems provided effective protection against physical threats in the past, in the modern world, they can lead to anxiety disorders with hypersensitivity to abstract threats.
Understanding the neuropsychological processes of anxiety can help individuals cope with anxiety in a healthier way. Today, scientific methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness offer effective tools to manage these evolutionarily rooted responses. By understanding the functional and dysfunctional aspects of anxiety, individuals can address this emotional state in a healthier way and improve their quality of life.
Resources
- Buss, D. M. (2019). Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind. Routledge.
- Clark, D. A., & Beck, A. T. (2010). Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: Science and Practice. Guilford Press.
- Davis, M., & Whalen, P. J. (2001). The amygdala: Vigilance and emotion. Molecular Psychiatry, 6(1), 13-34.
- Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. Delacorte Press.
- LeDoux, J. (1996). The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life. Simon and Schuster.
- Stein, D. J., & Nesse, R. M. (2015). Normal and abnormal anxiety in the age of DSM-5 and ICD-11. Depression and Anxiety, 32(9), 773-780.