Neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh have pinpointed a specific neuronal mechanism that helps explain how anxiety can disrupt the decision-making process and often leads to poor choices. Decision-making is the cognitive process of making a choice between a number of possible alternatives that often involves weighing the risks, rewards, and consequences of your actions.
There is growing evidence that the cognitive process of decision-making depends on proper functioning of specific neurons within subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The prefrontal cortex—which is housed in the frontal lobes of the cerebrum—is the newest part of the human brain in terms of our evolution.
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One reason the researchers of this study were motivated to pinpoint the neurobiological impact of distress on decision-making is because anxiety is such a prominent and debilitating component of most psychiatric disorders. Anxiety is often a key player in major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), and addiction.
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Healthy brain development requires a combination of brain plasticity, which fortifies certain connections so signals can be transmitted more efficiently … and synaptic pruning, which causes other connections to atrophy. Many studies have shown that chronic anxiety and high levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol disrupt brain structure and functional connectivity of the PFC.
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Reducing anxiety is especially important during chaotic times, when you feel overwhelmed, or that your life is out of control. During times of distress, the latest research shows that people are likely to make poor decisions which can exacerbate anxiety, lead to more bad decisions and snowball into a downward spiral.
Decision-making is in the locus of your control. We all have the power to break patterns of behavior simply by making better decisions, but this is often easier said than done. That said, even when you’re stuck in a cycle of rut-like thinking and behavior, a change of attitude and decision-making can turn your life around. This new study shows that reducing your anxiety levels might be the first step to starting a life-changing domino effect that empowers you to perpetually make better choices.
Remember, taking a few deep breaths will instantly activate your parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve which slows down your heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and puts you in a calmer state of mind. Diaphragmatic breathing is always going be your best first line of defense for combating anxiety. If you ever find yourself in an overstimulating and stressful situation that requires a rapid fire decision, I’d recommend that you remember to slow down and take a few deep breaths before planning your course of action.