Excessive Worrying May Have Co-evolved with Intelligence:
Apr 13, 2012
What Is Usually Seen as Pathology May Aid Survival of the Species
Worrying may have evolved along with intelligence as a beneficial trait, according to a recent study by scientists at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and other institutions. Jeremy Coplan, MD, professor of psychiatry at SUNY Downstate, and colleagues found that high intelligence and worry both correlate with brain activity measured by the depletion of the nutrient choline in the subcortical white matter of the brain. According to the researchers, this suggests that intelligence may have co-evolved with worry in humans.
“While excessive worry is generally seen as a negative trait and high intelligence
as a positive one, worry may cause our species to avoid dangerous situations, regardless
of how remote a possibility they may be,” said Dr. Coplan. “In essence, worry may
make people ‘take no chances,’ and such people may have higher survival rates. Thus,
like intelligence, worry may confer a benefit upon the species.”
In this study of anxiety and intelligence, patients with generalized anxiety disorder
(GAD) were compared with healthy volunteers to assess the relationship among intelligence
quotient (IQ), worry, and subcortical white matter metabolism of choline. In a control
group of normal volunteers, high IQ was associated with a lower degree of worry, but
in those diagnosed with GAD, high IQ was associated with a greater degree of worry.
The correlation between IQ and worry was significant in both the GAD group and the
healthy control group. However, in the former, the correlation was positive and, in
the latter, the correlation was negative. Eighteen healthy volunteers (eight males
and 10 females) and 26 patients with GAD (12 males and 14 females) served as subjects.
Previous studies have indicated that excessive worry tends to exist both in people with higher intelligence and lower intelligence, and less so in people of moderate intelligence. It has been hypothesized that people with lower intelligence suffer more anxiety because they achieve less success in life.
The results of their study, “The Relationship between Intelligence and Anxiety: An Association with Subcortical White Matter Metabolism,” was published in a recent edition of Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, and can be read at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3269637/pdf/fnevo-03-00008.pdf.
The study was selected and evaluated by a member of the Faculty of 1000 (F1000), placing it in their library of the top 2% of published articles in biology and medicine.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.