Feeling Anxious? Practising Optimism May be the Key

Amy Taylor September 24, 2015

New research, published in the Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience journal, links anxiety, optimism, and a brain structure called orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The findings suggest that adults who have larger OFCs tend to be more optimistic and less anxious.

Anxiety disorder is a long term mental health condition that affects roughly one in 25 people in the UK. This condition has physical and psychological symptoms which may vary from one person to another, but can include feelings of restlessness, inability to focus, and difficulty in sleeping.

The orbitofrontal cortex is the brain region located behind the eyes, which is known to play a role in anxiety. It integrates intellectual and emotional information, and is critical to behavioural regulation. In previous studies, it was found that the size of an individual’s OFC is related to his or her likelihood of developing anxiety. Other research suggests that optimistic people tend to be less anxious, and that optimism can increase the size of OFC.

The new study hypothesises that larger OFC might act as a buffer against anxiety in part by boosting optimism.

Since most studies available focused on patients who have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, the research team from the University of Illinois chose to take a different direction. "If there can be shrinkage of the orbitofrontal cortex and that shrinkage is associated with anxiety disorders, what does it mean in healthy populations that have larger OFCs? Could that have a protective role?" says Sanda Dolcos, the lead researcher.

The team also wanted to know if optimism was part of the mechanism linking larger OFC brain volumes to lesser anxiety.

For the study, the researchers looked at 61 healthy young adults and analysed the structure of a number of regions in their brains, including the OFC. They calculated the volume of gray matter in each brain region relative to the overall volume of the brain. Participants of the study completed tests that assessed their optimism and anxiety, depression symptoms, and positive (enthusiastic, interested) and negative (irritable, upset) affect.

Their analysis revealed that a thicker orbitofrontal cortex on the left side of the brain corresponded to higher optimism and less anxiety. It also found that optimism played a mediating role in reducing anxiety in those with larger OFCs.

The team also wanted to know whether practising optimism regularly would leave a mark in the brain. "If you can train people’s responses, the theory is that over longer periods, their ability to control their responses on a moment-by-moment basis will eventually be embedded in their brain structure," says Florin Dolcos, co-author of the study. He added that in future studies, they will examine whether optimism can be increased and anxiety reduced by training people in tasks that engage the orbitofrontal cortex, or by finding ways to boost optimism directly.