Anxiety Affects the Brain to Distort Perception of Threat

Anxiety’s impact on the brain has been carefully documented by research: It can cause fluctuations in neurotransmitters, change activity in different regions of the brain, and, according to new research in the field, may even impact our brain’s chemical patterns.

When someone struggles with anxiety, it alters their perception of the world around them. Their brain may seek out—and more easily notice—information that supports whatever threat they’re currently struggling with, making it incredibly difficult to move past the intrusive thoughts that accompany their worries. That can lead to interpreting neutral situations as threatening in some way, which only serves to increase agitation.

Far-reaching impact of distortions caused by anxiety

The cognitive distortions that accompany anxiety can cause anxiety sufferers to fall into vicious cycles of worry and distress: They sense a potential threat, view information around them in a way that suggests that threat is viable (even when it is not), and interpret situations as hostile, threatening, or unsafe. From there, anxiety quickly eats away at not just a sense of self but also at relationships, social interactions, and more. When the world around you is perceived as threatening, you’ll gradually withdraw from it to protect yourself.

Anxiety sufferers typically struggle with intrusive thought patterns that just won’t go away, no matter what activity they engage in. Those thoughts beat steadily in the background of their lives, but they steal so much more than just a sense of security. They detract from life’s best moments as well, sacrificing the present for fears of what “could” happen in the future.

Anxiety's self-fulfilling prophecy

Individuals who overthink situations due to anxiety often fall into self-fulfilling prophecy: They believe a situation will turn out poorly, they act on that belief, and that action can influences the situation to turn out poorly. Their reactions to other people can be impacted as well, disrupting trust, potentially causing conflict, leading to hurt—and adding to the anxious cycle. The net effect is to convince anxiety sufferers that their fears were indeed based in reality.

When reality becomes distorted due to perceived threats and intrusive thoughts, it makes the healing process exponentially more difficult, particularly if anxiety has negatively impacted a person’s available support system. For those who do not experience anxiety, it can be challenging to understand its pervasiveness: It can feel as if a monster, is devouring individuals from the inside, until it lays waste to everything—and everyone—in its path.

Perceptual biases are incredibly difficult to address because they are so internal and personal—and, when it comes to anxiety, many people are reluctant to voice those fears and worries. They may be afraid of judgment from others; sharing their worries could make the concerns feel more real or they could feel incapable of putting their distress into words.

New research, with promising results

Understanding the interactions between anxiety and the brain is integral to finding new ways to respond to and treat the condition. Beyond therapy and medication, the latest research suggests there may be nutritional approaches to treatment that could help improve symptoms and ease the burden on sufferers.

A recent meta-analysis identified choline deficiency as potentially linked to anxiety. Researchers found reduced levels of choline in many cortical regions of the brain. They believe that the high levels of arousal that characterize all forms of anxiety make excessive demands on choline, compromising the function of neurons..

Anxiety is an invasive disorder that, without treatment, can worsen until it impacts nearly every part of a person’s life. If something as simple as tweaking a diet can provide relief, it puts power back into the hands of individuals who, for too long, have been overwhelmed by fear and dread. A simple tweak of choosing choline-rrich food may allow them hope for a future marked by peace instead.