Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics

J 2022

Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics

LANG, Martin, Jan KRÁTKÝ and Dimitrios XYGALATAS

Basic information

Original name

Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics

Authors

LANG, Martin (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Jan KRÁTKÝ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Dimitrios XYGALATAS (300 Greece)

Edition

Scientific Reports, London, Nature Portfolio, 2022, 2045-2322

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

60304 Religious studies

Country of publisher

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 4.600

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14210/22:00127133

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23885-4

UT WoS

000881825800013

Keywords in English

anxiety; ritual; predictive processing; Bayesian brain; ritualization

Abstract

V originále

People face stressors that are beyond their control and that maladaptively perpetuate anxiety. In these contexts, rituals emerge as a natural coping strategy helping decrease excessive anxiety. However, mechanisms facilitating these purported effects have rarely been studied. We hypothesized that repetitive and rigid ritual sequences help the human cognitive-behavioral system to return to low-entropy states and assuage anxiety. This study reports a pre-registered test of this hypothesis using a Czech student sample (n = 268). Participants were exposed to an anxiety induction and then randomly assigned to perform one of three actions: ritualized, control, and neutral (no-activity). We assessed the effects of this manipulation on cognitive and physiological anxiety, finding that ritualized action positively affected anxiety decrease, but this decrease was only slightly larger than in the other two conditions. Nevertheless, the between-condition differences in the reduction of physiological anxiety were well-estimated in participants more susceptible to anxiety induction.

Links

EE2.3.20.0048, research and development project

Name: Laboratoř pro experimentální výzkum náboženství

MUNI/G/0985/2017, interní kód MU

Name: Economic Decision-Making: Hormonal Determinants and Ritualized Behavior

Investor: Masaryk University, INTERDISCIPLINARY - Interdisciplinary research projects

Citovat

LANG, Martin, Jan KRÁTKÝ and Dimitrios XYGALATAS. Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics. Scientific Reports. London: Nature Portfolio, 2022, vol. 12, No 1, p. 1-9. ISSN 2045-2322. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23885-4.

@article{2230929,
   author = {Lang, Martin and Krátký, Jan and Xygalatas, Dimitrios},
   article_location = {London},
   article_number = {1},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23885-4},
   keywords = {anxiety; ritual; predictive processing; Bayesian brain; ritualization},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {2045-2322},
   journal = {Scientific Reports},
   title = {Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics},
   url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-23885-4},
   volume = {12},
   year = {2022}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2230929
AU  - Lang, Martin - Krátký, Jan - Xygalatas, Dimitrios
PY  - 2022
TI  - Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics
JF  - Scientific Reports
VL  - 12
IS  - 1
SP  - 1-9
EP  - 1-9
PB  - Nature Portfolio
SN  - 20452322
KW  - anxiety
KW  - ritual
KW  - predictive processing
KW  - Bayesian brain
KW  - ritualization
UR  - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-23885-4
N2  - People face stressors that are beyond their control and that maladaptively perpetuate anxiety. In these contexts, rituals emerge as a natural coping strategy helping decrease excessive anxiety. However, mechanisms facilitating these purported effects have rarely been studied. We hypothesized that repetitive and rigid ritual sequences help the human cognitive-behavioral system to return to low-entropy states and assuage anxiety. This study reports a pre-registered test of this hypothesis using a Czech student sample (n = 268). Participants were exposed to an anxiety induction and then randomly assigned to perform one of three actions: ritualized, control, and neutral (no-activity). We assessed the effects of this manipulation on cognitive and physiological anxiety, finding that ritualized action positively affected anxiety decrease, but this decrease was only slightly larger than in the other two conditions. Nevertheless, the between-condition differences in the reduction of physiological anxiety were well-estimated in participants more susceptible to anxiety induction.
ER  -

LANG, Martin, Jan KRÁTKÝ and Dimitrios XYGALATAS. Effects of predictable behavioral patterns on anxiety dynamics. \textit{Scientific Reports}. London: Nature Portfolio, 2022, vol.~12, No~1, p.~1-9. ISSN~2045-2322. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23885-4.

Detailed Information on Publication Record