Having a fear of the unknown is linked to several anxiety disorders. Known as anticipatory anxiety, people who are highly sensitive to unknown or uncertain situations spend a huge portion of their time panicking about what is going to happen next.
In the study, the participants were being tested on their eye blink response to mild electrical shocks. Some of the participants were diagnosed with anxiety disorders whereas others weren’t. Some of the electrical shocks were predictable and some came as a surprise. Even though it is a natural reflex for us to blink in response, the results showed that people with anxiety disorders blinked more strongly to unexpected shocks, suggesting that these people are more sensitive to events that are uncertain.
As there is a diversity of anxiety disorders and treatments available, perhaps understanding the shared characteristics that underline these disorders may help us to invent drugs that can treat such sensitivity.
Category(s):Anxiety
Source material from Psyblog
