Anxious audiobook cover - Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety

Anxious

Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety

Joseph Ledoux

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Categories:
HistoryPsychology

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Anxious
History & Perception+
Diagnosis & Origins+
Biology of Threat Detection+
Mechanics of Disorders+
Conscious Fear vs. Instinct+
Modern Treatments+
Memory Alteration & Coping+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9
How did Sigmund Freud's theories change the way society perceived anxiety?
  • A. He proved that anxiety was solely a genetic condition rather than a philosophical one.
  • B. He shifted the view of anxiety from a normal human experience to a sign of psychopathology and repressed trauma.
  • C. He argued that anxiety is a consequence of the human capacity to make free choices.
  • D. He introduced the idea that anxiety is an evolutionary survival mechanism shared with animals.
Question 2 of 9
How has the classification of anxiety disorders evolved in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)?
  • A. It has remained largely unchanged since the first edition in the mid-twentieth century.
  • B. It was originally classified as a psychosis but was later changed to a neurosis.
  • C. It started as a broad category called anxiety neurosis and was later subdivided into specific conditions like GAD and PTSD.
  • D. It was removed from the DSM entirely because it is now considered a normal evolutionary response.
Question 3 of 9
According to the text, what physiological change occurs when the sympathetic nervous system reacts to a threat?
  • A. Blood is directed toward the gut to aid in rapid digestion and energy absorption.
  • B. The brain releases dopamine to encourage the organism to fight the threat.
  • C. Heart rate decreases to help the body 'play dead' and avoid detection.
  • D. Blood is directed away from the skin and gut, and pumped into the muscles.
Question 4 of 9
How do people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) typically exhibit avoidant behavior?
  • A. By physically running away from specific triggers like tall buildings or spiders.
  • B. By engaging in an incessant internal monologue of worries that prevents them from testing their thoughts against reality.
  • C. By completely isolating themselves and refusing to leave their homes under any circumstances.
  • D. By repressing their memories so deeply that they no longer consciously feel any fear.
Question 5 of 9
What is the crucial difference between a survival response and the feeling of fear, according to neuroscientists?
  • A. Survival responses are conscious choices, while fear is an uncontrollable reflex.
  • B. Animals experience conscious fear, while humans only experience unconscious survival responses.
  • C. Survival responses are unconscious cognitive circuits, while fear and anxiety are created by conscious cognitive processes.
  • D. There is no difference; neuroscientists use the terms interchangeably based on animal studies.
Question 6 of 9
Which of the following is noted as a major limitation of exposure therapy?
  • A. It only targets the unconscious memories of the patient.
  • B. The extinction of negative associations is highly context-specific and can spontaneously recover.
  • C. It focuses too much on a patient's childhood trauma rather than their present behavior.
  • D. It has a very low success rate, working for fewer than 30 percent of patients.
Question 7 of 9
What did the author's controversial experiment with rats reveal about traumatic memories?
  • A. Traumatic memories can be completely erased by blocking protein synthesis in the amygdala.
  • B. Erasing traumatic memories causes irreversible damage to an animal's ability to learn new tasks.
  • C. Memories of trauma are genetically inherited and cannot be altered by chemical interventions.
  • D. Traumatic memories become stronger and more durable each time they are retrieved.
Question 8 of 9
How does meditation help regulate anxiety, according to the text?
  • A. It permanently lowers the body's natural production of cortisol and adrenaline.
  • B. It teaches people to be 'self-less,' making anxiety less persuasive by reducing personal identification with threats.
  • C. It helps individuals recover repressed childhood memories that are the root cause of their anxiety.
  • D. It completely shuts down the sympathetic nervous system's fight-or-flight response.
Question 9 of 9
Why does the book recommend taking a nap after learning something new or completing a therapy session?
  • A. Sleep temporarily halts the production of stress hormones, preventing anxiety attacks.
  • B. Napping helps to immediately extinguish negative associations formed during the day.
  • C. The brain requires four to six hours to fully form memories, a process that sleep accelerates.
  • D. Dreams allow the conscious mind to confront and defeat imagined threats in a safe environment.

Anxious — Full Chapter Overview

Anxious Summary & Overview

Anxious (2015) is an in-depth study of anxiety disorders. It explores how anxiety is diagnosed and examines how our in-built survival mechanisms can sabotage us by making us perceive danger where none exists. Most importantly, it provides an overview of the most innovative treatment options available – from reprogramming our memories to practicing meditation.

Who Should Listen to Anxious?

  • Anyone living with anxiety who wants to understand more about it 
  • Teachers and caregivers who want to support the young people in their care
  • Psychology buffs who want to better understand this pervasive disorder

About the Author: Joseph Ledoux

Joseph LeDoux is the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at New York University. He also directs the Emotional Brain Institute at New York University and the Nathan Kline Institute. His previous books include Synaptic Self and The Emotional Brain.

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