A new study has shown that bias can make it extremely difficult for individuals suffering from depression and anxiety to enter new relationships, engage in experiences, or secure new employment.
The study found that individuals with symptoms of depression and anxiety tend to focus more on their past mistakes rather than the current situation they are living in, making it challenging for them to seize potential beneficial opportunities in the future. Worse still, many other studies have shown that people with depression tend to believe that the bad things that happened to them in the past were inevitable and that they could happen to them again in the future. According to researchers and psychological experts, one of the most common suggestions for escaping this vicious cycle of fear from the past is to consciously focus more on the successes and positive experiences that occurred in the past. Unfortunately, depressed individuals struggle to appreciate or even recall positive experiences. Thus, cognitive behavioral therapy is one method to change thought patterns that may affect decision-making. Unlike those with depression and anxiety, emotionally resilient individuals find it easier to adapt to a rapidly changing environment and take advantage of available opportunities to improve their circumstances.
Professor Sonia Bishop, a co-author of the study, explained: "When everything changes quickly, and you get a bad outcome due to a decision you made in the past, you may focus on the mistake you made without paying attention to the other factors, which often happens with anxious or clinically depressed individuals. In contrast, emotionally resilient people tend to focus on what yielded good results and utilize their past mistakes to make better future decisions."
During the study, researchers tested the decision-making process of over 300 participants, some of whom had depression and others chronic anxiety. Professor Bishop stated: "We wanted to know whether this vulnerability was unique to individuals with anxiety or if it also appeared in people with depression, which often coexists with anxiety. We also sought to determine whether the issue was general or specific to recognizing potential rewards or threats from the decisions made."
The results showed that individuals experiencing symptoms of both depression and anxiety are the most likely to face significant difficulties in making sound decisions due to their worries about past experiences and previous mistakes. Professor Bishop said: "We found that emotionally resilient individuals excel at sticking to the best course of action when the world changes rapidly. On the other hand, individuals suffering from anxiety and depression were less capable of adapting to these changes. Our findings suggest that they could benefit from cognitive therapies that redirect their attention to the positive rather than the negative outcomes of past experiences."
