The more chaotic things get, the harder it is for people with clinical anxiety and/or depression to make sound decisions and to learn from their mistakes. On a positive note, overly anxious and depressed people’s judgment can improve if they focus on what they get right, instead of what they get wrong, suggests a new UC Berkeley study.

The researchers found that the study participants whose symptoms intersect with both anxiety and depression — such as worrying a lot, feeling unmotivated or not feeling good about themselves or about the future — had the most trouble adjusting to changes when performing a computerized task that simulated a volatile or rapidly changing environment.

The findings, published today, Dec. 22, in the journal eLife , are particularly salient in the face of a COVID-19 surge that demands tactical and agile thinking to avoid illness and even death.

Release date: 22 December 2020
Source: University of California – Berkeley