Apathy and Anxiety – The Opposite Effects On Our Decision Making

Recent research indicates that apathy and anxiety can have very different effects on our decision making in times of uncertainty.

One will lead us to explore more options whilst the other reduces our willingness to explore outcomes. 

At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves making decisions in uncertain situations.  However, some new research from the University of Minnesota Medical School has discovered that apathy and anxiety (two common but very different emotional states) result in fundamentally different learning and decision-making patterns. 

Key findings of the research show that:

• Apathetic individuals view outcomes as more random and as such are less likely to explore possible outcomes and solutions 

  
  

• However, anxious individuals believe their environment is highly volatile and therefore explore more options - especially after negative outcomes! 

  
  

The ratio of the perceived randomness of the environment to the perceived volatility of the environment, directly influences the relationship between anxiety and exploratory behaviour.

This research provides us with new insights into understanding how emotional states influence decision-making, with important implications for the assessment of mental capacity.  

This is especially true when assessing for ‘micro’ or one-off decisions such as a Will or LPA (see A,B,C v X,Y,Z [2012]) whereby the person’s presentation at the time of assessment can be taken as a reflection of their actual capacity. 

If you'd like to read more about this, the findings of the research were recently published in:  Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.