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Excessive worry might not be such a bad affair after all — a new small survey suggests that such anxiety may have evolved in the great unwashed along with tidings .
The result show , among masses diagnosed withgeneralized anxiousness disorder , in high spirits IQ lots were associated with high levels of trouble .
In add-on , those with anxiety disorderliness tended to havehigher IQ scoresthan healthy the great unwashed , as well as higher stage of activity in region of the genius that aid in communicating between parts of the brainpower . These region are thought to have contribute to the evolutionary success of human beings , the investigator say .
Although we incline to view anxiety as not being good for us , it is link with intelligence — a highly adaptive trait , said Dr. Jeremy Coplan , written report investigator and professor of psychopathology at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center .
High levels of anxiousness can be disabling , and patient ' worries are often irrational , Coplan state . But " every so often there ’s a wild - card danger . Then , that excessive worry becomes highly adaptative , " Coplan said .
" citizenry who act on the signals of that wild - card danger are likely to preserve their lives and the life of their offspring , " Coplan say .
Because the study was little , more research is need to sustain the finding .
anxiousness and intelligence
In the discipline , 26 patients with anxiety disorder and 18 good for you people complete an IQ psychometric test , along with a questionnaire to assess theirlevel of worry .
Among the participants with anxiousness disorderliness , the higher their concern level , the great their IQ grudge was .
Interestingly , the opposite was seen in sizable patients : those with high IQ scores incline to have low story of worry , and those with low IQ scores tended to have high grade of worry — a finding that agrees with earlier inquiry .
Not enough worry
Too small worry can be baffling for mortal and company , Coplan tell . Some hoi polloi are " unequal to of seeing any risk , even when risk is imminent , he said .
" If these folks are in position as leadership , they are going to point to the general populace that there ’s no need to worry , " Coplan said . In some situations , like the recent real estate house of cards , that lack of worry can have societal consequences , he said .
The report was published Feb. 1 in the daybook Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience .
Pass it on : In some situations , excessive worrying is advantageous , and the trait may have co - evolved with intelligence agency .
