Fear and fitness: An evolutionary analysis of anxiety disorders Export

@article{citeulike:2445576, abstract = {This article reviews the evolutionary origins and functions of the capacity for anxiety, and relevant clinical and research issues. Normal anxiety is an emotion that helps organisms defend against a wide variety of threats. There is a general capacity for normal defensive arousal, and subtypes of normal anxiety protect against particular kinds of threats. These normal subtypes correspond somewhat to mild forms of various anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders arise from dysregulation of normal defensive responses, raising the possibility of a hypophobic disorder (too little anxiety). If a drug were discovered that abolished all defensive anxiety, it could do harm as well as good. Factors that have shaped anxiety-regulation mechanisms can explain prepotent and prepared tendencies to associate anxiety more quickly with certain cues than with others. These tendencies lead to excess fear of largely archaic dangers, like snakes, and too little fear of new threats, like cars. An understanding of the evolutionary origins, functions, and mechanisms of anxiety suggests new questions about anxiety disorders.}, author = {Marks, Isaac and Nesse, Randolph M.}, citeulike-article-id = {2445576}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(94)90002-7}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6X2B-45WHVG2-2/2/6d5200d226f8a8270179208617f25cc3}, doi = {10.1016/0162-3095(94)90002-7}, journal = {Ethology and Sociobiology}, keywords = {anxiety, eea, evolution, fear}, month = {}, number = {5-6}, pages = {247--261}, posted-at = {2008-02-29 00:51:40}, priority = {2}, title = {Fear and fitness: An evolutionary analysis of anxiety disorders}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(94)90002-7}, volume = {15}, year = {1994} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2445576 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2445576 N2 - This article reviews the evolutionary origins and functions of the capacity for anxiety, and relevant clinical and research issues. Normal anxiety is an emotion that helps organisms defend against a wide variety of threats. There is a general capacity for normal defensive arousal, and subtypes of normal anxiety protect against particular kinds of threats. These normal subtypes correspond somewhat to mild forms of various anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders arise from dysregulation of normal defensive responses, raising the possibility of a hypophobic disorder (too little anxiety). If a drug were discovered that abolished all defensive anxiety, it could do harm as well as good. Factors that have shaped anxiety-regulation mechanisms can explain prepotent and prepared tendencies to associate anxiety more quickly with certain cues than with others. These tendencies lead to excess fear of largely archaic dangers, like snakes, and too little fear of new threats, like cars. An understanding of the evolutionary origins, functions, and mechanisms of anxiety suggests new questions about anxiety disorders. IS - 5-6 JF - Ethology and Sociobiology EP - 261 TI - Fear and fitness: An evolutionary analysis of anxiety disorders VL - 15 SP - 247 KW - anxiety KW - eea KW - evolution KW - fear AU - Marks, Isaac AU - Nesse, Randolph PY - 1994/0// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(94)90002-7 ER -