A study on 20,000 anxiety disorder patients has shown how negativity bias can influence brain structure, cognitive function, and mental health, supporting the view that mental illness is a brain illness. Researchers from Amen Clinics, a nationwide brain health diagnostics company, examined brain scans and cognitive data of nearly 20,000 patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Dr. Daniel Amen, a brain disorder specialist and psychiatrist, was the co-author of the study and founder of Amen Clinics. The research highlighted that individuals with higher negativity bias experienced reduced blood flow in key brain regions, such as the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, which are essential for decision-making, memory, and emotional regulation.
According to Dr. Amen, the brain abnormalities, especially in areas not traditionally linked to emotional processing like the cerebellum, were particularly striking. The findings indicated that more negative individuals also showed significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, emotional instability, poor memory, and poor stress regulation. The study’s results, published in the journal Depression and Anxiety, reinforce the argument that mental illness is a brain illness, requiring a focus on brain health for effective treatment. While the study’s cross-sectional design limits its ability to establish causation, it underscores the importance of looking at the brain in psychiatry, as Dr. Amen explained.
Despite the study’s limitations, the findings suggest that negativity bias is not just a ‘bad attitude’ but a neurological pattern that can lead to cognitive and emotional breakdowns. The research emphasizes the need to address brain health seriously in mental health treatment. Dr. Amen advocated for the potential of daily positivity practices, such as exercise, meditation, omega-3 consumption, gratitude journaling, and deep breathing, in rewire negativity bias over time. This highlights the importance of proactive approaches in managing mental health and brain function, according to the study’s insights.