Why do some people worry more than others? What causes unease and anxiety and how do we get rid of it? Here we discuss eight new research studies on the subject.
1. Be kind to others and reduce your anxiety
To do kind acts for other people can help the person suffering from social anxiety to have an easier time to socialize with others. In one study, the participants were divided into three groups. One of the groups did kind things for each other, such as doing the dishes for their roommates. The other group took part in different social situations without doing any kind acts. The third group was the control group. The study results showed that that the people performing good deeds were the ones who were most comfortable in social situations.
2. Why anxiety creates isolation
Research shows that anxiety makes us focus more on ourselves and reduce our empathy for other people. The result is that we have difficulties seeing things from other people’s perspective. This could be a factor of why anxiety feels so isolating.
3. Anxiety can run in the family
A hyperactive network in the areas of the brain can influence how children inherent anxiety and depression from their parents. It concerns three areas in the brain that cooperates to control our reaction of fear. A study shows that 35 percent of differences in anxiety could be explained by family history.
4. Sedentary life is connected to anxiety
Activities that don’t require much energy, such as watching TV, working by the computer or playing video games or computer games can be connected to anxiety. A new study shows that a sedentary lifestyle can increase your anxiety. The causes behind this connection are believed to be that your sleep are interrupted, lower metabolism and you become socially secluded.
5. Social anxiety linked to increased serotonin levels
Earlier it was believed that social anxiety is linked to low serotonin level in the brain, however, nowadays they believe it's high levels. Serotonin is a signal substance that among other things influence our mood and state of mind. People suffering from social anxiety tend to produce more of the neurotransmitter serotonin. And the more serotonin that is produced, the more anxiety follows.
6. Fermented food can help reduce anxiety
A study has shown that people who eat more fermented, that is acid, food suffer from less social anxiety. Fermented food contains lactic acid bacteria, probiotic, which you can find in for instance acid vegetables, sour milk, yoghurt and the Asian beverage kombucha.
7. Anxiety is contagious
Studies show that anxiety is ”contagious” and can be traced from parent to child and vice versa. The infectious nature of anxiety is a genetic factor.
8. Exercise and relaxation reduces anxiety
New research shows that relaxation techniques and exercise can help to combat anxiety because they change our way to perceive the world. After exercise or relaxation, we are less inclined to perceive the neutral signals as threatening, or negative, which we on the contrary do when we feel anxiety and are worried.
Calming & inspiring sequences
Grow with
A yoga philosophy talk about how to calm the mind, so you can see what's there.
Breathe with
Get to know your lungs and their potential through the breath.
Yoga with
Go inside for presence and to allow yourself to accept what you experience and feel, to be OK with what is. A lunar meditative yin class with Ulrica Norberg.
Read more about the studies here.
