Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior

J 2015

Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior

LANG, Martin, Jan KRÁTKÝ, John SHAVER, Danijela JEROTIJEVIĆ, Dimitrios XYGALATAS et. al.

Basic information

Original name

Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior

Name in Czech

Efekt úzkosti na spontánní ritualizované chování

Authors

LANG, Martin (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Jan KRÁTKÝ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), John SHAVER (840 United States of America, belonging to the institution), Danijela JEROTIJEVIĆ (703 Slovakia, belonging to the institution) and Dimitrios XYGALATAS (300 Greece, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Current Biology, London, Elsevier Science, 2015, 0960-9822

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

60300 6.3 Philosophy, Ethics and Religion

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 8.983

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14210/15:00083513

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.049

UT WoS

000358465600028

Keywords (in Czech)

úzkost; obsesivně-kompulzivní porucha; paradigma veřejného proslovu; ritualizované chování

Keywords in English

anxiety; obsessive-compulsive disorder; public speaking paradigm; ritualized behavior

Abstract

V originále

Environmental uncertainty and uncontrollability cause psycho-physiological distress to organisms [1, 2 and 3], often impeding normal functioning [4 and 5]. A common response involves ritualization, that is, the limitation of behavioral expressions to predictable stereotypic and repetitive motor patterns [6, 7 and 8]. In humans, such behaviors are also symptomatic of psychopathologies like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) [8 and 9] and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) [10 and 11]. Although these reactions might be mediated by different neural pathways, they serve to regain a sense of control over an uncertain situation [12, 13, 14 and 15] by engaging in behavioral patterns characterized by redundancy (superfluous actions that exceed the functional requirements of a goal), repetitiveness (recurrent behaviors or utterances), and rigidity (emphasis on fidelity and invariance) [ 8, 9, 16 and 17]. We examined whether ritualized behavior will manifest spontaneously as a dominant behavioral strategy in anxiogenic situations. Manipulating anxiety, we used motion-capture technology to quantify various characteristics of hand movements. We found that induced anxiety led to an increase in repetitiveness and rigidity, but not redundancy. However, examination of both psychological and physiological pathways revealed that repetitiveness and rigidity were predicted by an increase in heart rate, while self-perceived anxiety was a marginally significant predictor of redundancy. We suggest that these findings are in accordance with an entropy model of uncertainty [ 18], in which anxiety motivates organisms to return to familiar low-entropy states in order to regain a sense of control. Our results might inform a better understanding of ritual behavior and psychiatric disorders whose symptoms include over-ritualization.

Links

EE2.3.20.0048, research and development project

Name: Laboratoř pro experimentální výzkum náboženství

Citovat

LANG, Martin, Jan KRÁTKÝ, John SHAVER, Danijela JEROTIJEVIĆ and Dimitrios XYGALATAS. Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior. Current Biology. London: Elsevier Science, 2015, vol. 25, No 14, p. 1892-1897. ISSN 0960-9822. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.049.

@article{1307921,
   author = {Lang, Martin and Krátký, Jan and Shaver, John and Jerotijević, Danijela and Xygalatas, Dimitrios},
   article_location = {London},
   article_number = {14},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.049},
   keywords = {anxiety; obsessive-compulsive disorder; public speaking paradigm; ritualized behavior},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {0960-9822},
   journal = {Current Biology},
   title = {Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior},
   url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982215006521},
   volume = {25},
   year = {2015}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1307921
AU  - Lang, Martin - Krátký, Jan - Shaver, John - Jerotijević, Danijela - Xygalatas, Dimitrios
PY  - 2015
TI  - Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior
JF  - Current Biology
VL  - 25
IS  - 14
SP  - 1892-1897
EP  - 1892-1897
PB  - Elsevier Science
SN  - 09609822
KW  - anxiety
KW  - obsessive-compulsive disorder
KW  - public speaking paradigm
KW  - ritualized behavior
UR  - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982215006521
L2  - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982215006521
N2  - Environmental uncertainty and uncontrollability cause psycho-physiological distress to organisms [1, 2 and 3], often impeding normal functioning [4 and 5]. A common response involves ritualization, that is, the limitation of behavioral expressions to predictable stereotypic and repetitive motor patterns [6, 7 and 8]. In humans, such behaviors are also symptomatic of psychopathologies like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) [8 and 9] and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) [10 and 11]. Although these reactions might be mediated by different neural pathways, they serve to regain a sense of control over an uncertain situation [12, 13, 14 and 15] by engaging in behavioral patterns characterized by redundancy (superfluous actions that exceed the functional requirements of a goal), repetitiveness (recurrent behaviors or utterances), and rigidity (emphasis on fidelity and invariance) [ 8, 9, 16 and 17]. We examined whether ritualized behavior will manifest spontaneously as a dominant behavioral strategy in anxiogenic situations. Manipulating anxiety, we used motion-capture technology to quantify various characteristics of hand movements. We found that induced anxiety led to an increase in repetitiveness and rigidity, but not redundancy. However, examination of both psychological and physiological pathways revealed that repetitiveness and rigidity were predicted by an increase in heart rate, while self-perceived anxiety was a marginally significant predictor of redundancy. We suggest that these findings are in accordance with an entropy model of uncertainty [ 18], in which anxiety motivates organisms to return to familiar low-entropy states in order to regain a sense of control. Our results might inform a better understanding of ritual behavior and psychiatric disorders whose symptoms include over-ritualization.
ER  -

LANG, Martin, Jan KRÁTKÝ, John SHAVER, Danijela JEROTIJEVI$\backslash$'C and Dimitrios XYGALATAS. Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior. \textit{Current Biology}. London: Elsevier Science, 2015, vol.~25, No~14, p.~1892-1897. ISSN~0960-9822. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.049.

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