Can Approaching Anxiety Like a Habit Lead to Novel Treatments?
Judson A. Brewer, Alexandra Roy
American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 2021 DOI: 10.1177/15598276211008144 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Digital therapeutics Habit change Obesity Reinforcement learning Weight loss |
| Key findings | Argues that worry can be understood as a learned, reinforced habit that avoids more aversive emotions, and proposes that mindfulness training targeting this mechanism, delivered remotely through mobile health platforms and digital therapeutics, could help treat anxiety at scale. Notes that in-person programs such as MBSR and MBCT reduce anxiety but are difficult to scale. |
Abstract
Anxiety disorders make up the most prevalent class of mental illnesses. Given the growing prevalence of anxiety in the United States and beyond, there is an urgent clinical need to develop nonpharmacologic treatments that effectively treat and reduce its core symptoms (eg, worry). A leading theory posits that although worrying may be unpleasant, the immediate emotions that are avoided by concentrating on worry are often perceived as more aversive (eg, fear, anger, grief). From a mechanistic perspective, worry is thought to be learned and reinforced in a similar manner to other types of positively and negatively reinforced behaviors: habits. Mindfulness training, a practice that brings awareness to cognitive, affective, and physiological experiences, when delivered in-person via programs such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing anxiety, but is difficult to scale in this manner. In this review, we explore novel approaches to using mindfulness training to specifically target the theoretical mechanisms underlying the perpetuation of anxiety (eg, worry as a habit), and the emergence of mobile health platforms (eg, digital therapeutics) as potential vehicles for remote delivery of treatment.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review General (healthcare, schools, workplace) | 2021 | Review | |
| A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders | 2017 | Review and consensus statement | |
| Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines | 2005 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology | 2018 | Review | |
| Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression: Challenges and Strategies | 2020 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- From Confound to Clinical Tool: Mindfulness and the Observer Effect in Research and Therapy. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Negative affect and craving during abstinence from smoking are both linked to default mode network connectivity. Drug and Alcohol Dependence May 13, 2023
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and 7 more in the library