evolutionary psych- Anxiety Pt 2

why is defining anxiety disorders so difficult?

the distinction between normal and pathological anxiety is difficult to establish

anxiety responses that seem excessive in some contexts may be beneficial in others

what does diagnostic criteria for anxiety rely on?

frequency and severity but create artificial boundaries

• some ind who don’t meet diagnostic criteria still experiences sig distress

hypophobia

where ind exhibit insufficient fear and response to threats

• more likely to engage in reckless behaviours, increasing their risk of harm

  • rarely seek treatment

stochaisticity

the quality of being random or lacking a predictable order

stochasticity in genetic variation leads to?

wide range of anxiety sensitivity

• some ind inherit traits that predispose them to excessive anxiety responses

• developmental factors and life experiences further contribute to this variance

the lack of stabilizing selection results in?

persistent vulnerability to anxiety disorders

what kind of pathways does anxiety follow?

both fast and slow

• logical reasoning often fails to override deeply ingrained fear responses

  • explains why people remain anxious despite knowing a situation is safe

agoraphobia

an anxiety disorder that causes an intense fear of becoming overwhelmed or unable to escape or get help

• people often avoid new places

• now maladaptive

why evolution supported agoraphobia

•Agoraphobia may stem from ancestral environments where open spaces were dangerous.

•Individuals with agoraphobia often feel safest in enclosed, controlled environments.

•Avoiding open spaces may have reduced exposure to predators in evolutionary history.

freeze repsonses

• evolutionary mechanism to avoid detection by predators

• some people with panic disorders experience temporary paralysis during attacks

  • normally unrecognizable

what does the freeze response reflect

•It highlights how panic symptoms reflect exaggerated but once-adaptive survival mechanisms.

mismatch theory and modern anxiety triggers

•Human anxiety systems evolved to respond to immediate physical threats.

•Modern stressors, such as financial worries, activate the same neural pathways.

•Unlike ancestral threats, these problems persist over long periods, causing chronic stress.

•This mismatch contributes to the rising prevalence of anxiety disorders in contemporary society.

evolutionary perspective on social anxiety

• evolved to protect individuals from social rejection.

•In ancestral environments, rejection from the group could mean loss of resources and protection.

• modern social anxieties, such as public speaking trigger sim fear responses

separation anxiety in kids helps ensure?

proximity to caregivers for safety

• can persist into adulthood leading to separation anxiety

evolutionary perspective for social anxiety

•Evolutionary pressures shaped attachment systems to protect individuals from being left alone.

•In extreme cases, overactive attachment systems cause severe distress when separated from loved ones

cost of anxiety in evolution

•While anxiety has survival benefits, excessive anxiety imposes fitness costs.

•High anxiety can lead to avoidance of beneficial social and environmental opportunities.

•In ancestral groups, overly anxious individuals may have missed reproductive chances.

•Evolution likely favoured a balance between vigilance and adaptability.

hoarding

may have origins in ancestral environments where resource scarcity was a threat

• excessive accumulation of objects may have once provided survival advantages

hoarding in modern context

becomes maladaptive and associated with distress

• disorders is linked to difficulty discarding items due to exaggerated perceived future need

startle reflex

an auto response to sudden stim, evolved for survival

• controlled by the amygdala and brainstem, which regulate fear processing

exaggerated startle responses are found in what kind of people?

those with heightened anxiety, happens even to mild threats

• can contribute to hypervigilance and avoidance behaviours

paranoia evoultion

evolved as an adaptive mechanism to detect social threats

• in ancestral environments, those who were overly cautious may have avoided deception or harm

excessive threat perception in the modern environment leads to?

anxiety-related paranoia

• •Overactivation of this system can lead to persistent mistrust and hypervigilance in interpersonal interactions.

serotonin and anxiety

•Serotonin is a key neurotransmitter involved in anxiety regulation.

•Low serotonin levels are linked to heightened threat sensitivity and fear responses.

evolutionary theories suggest serotonin modulation helps balance?

vigilance and relaxation

• modern antidepressants target serotonin pathways to reduce excessive anxiety

mismatch in fear learning

•Humans evolved to learn fear responses to survival-relevant stimuli.

•In modern environments, exposure to exaggerated fears through media can reinforce anxiety.

•Some individuals develop phobias based on learned rather than experienced dangers.

•The brain’s bias towards negative information sustains unnecessary anxiety responses.

why did anxiety likely evolve?

as a survival mechanism to detect and respond to predator threats

•Individuals who were more vigilant and cautious had higher chances of survival in predator-rich environments.

•Even in predator-free modern environments, the same neural pathways continue to trigger anxiety.

•Overgeneralization of these survival mechanisms contributes to excessive fear responses in anxiety disorders.

uncertainty and anxiety

•Environments with unpredictable dangers likely selected for individuals with heightened anxiety sensitivity.

•High-anxiety individuals may have been more risk-averse, avoiding potentially fatal situations.

•Inconsistent childhood environments can amplify anxiety sensitivity as an adaptive but maladaptive response.

•Modern-day anxiety disorders may result from an overactive adaptation to environmental unpredictability.

food scarcity and anxiety

•Anxiety may have played a role in resource acquisition and survival in times of scarcity.

•Individuals with heightened anxiety may have been more motivated to store food and prepare for future shortages.

•The modern environment, with constant food availability, makes this response less adaptive.

•This evolutionary mismatch may contribute to stress-related eating patterns in anxiety disorders today.

territorial defense and anxiety

•Anxiety may have evolved to help individuals protect their territory and resources from intruders.

•Heightened vigilance and defensive aggression would have increased survival and reproductive success.

•Individuals prone to anxiety may have been more likely to detect threats and take preventive action.

•In modern settings, this response can manifest as excessive worry about personal space, property, or status.