Anxiety in small amounts can help memory, say scientists
But too much of it could ‘impact memories and performance’.
Anxiety can help people to remember things but only if it is manageable, scientists say.
New research on a small group of volunteers suggests low levels of anxiety can help recall details of events, but a team from the University of Waterloo in Canada say that if anxiety levels get too high or descended into fear, memories can become tainted.
Myra Fernandes, professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo and study co-author, said: “People with high anxiety have to be careful.
“To some degree, there is an optimal level of anxiety that is going to benefit your memory.
“But we know from other research that high levels of anxiety can cause people to reach a tipping point, which impacts their memories and performance.”
Shallow processing refers to the sounds and structure of language (for example, how we remember to pronounce the word “red”) whereas deep processing is when we hear a word and work out its meaning and context (like for instance, associating the word “red” as being a friend’s favourite colour).
Aside from performing their tasks, all the participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales.
According to the researchers, participants with manageable levels of anxiety were the better at recalling details compared to highly anxious individuals.
Christopher Lee, a PhD psychology candidate at Waterloo and study co-author, said: “By thinking about emotional events or by thinking about negative events this might put you in a negative mindset that can bias you or change the way you perceive your current environment.
“So, I think for the general public it is important to be aware of what biases you might bring to the table or what particular mindset you might be viewing the world in and how that might ultimately shape what we walk away seeing.”
The conclusion is that while manageable anxiety can help boost memory, high anxiety can cause neutral information to become biased by negative emotions.
The research was recently published in the journal Brain Sciences.
