Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
This meta-analysis combined 241 effect sizes from 114 studies to test how six habitual emotion-regulation strategies relate to symptoms of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance-related problems. Rumination showed the strongest (large) link with symptoms. Avoidance, problem solving, and suppression showed medium-to-large links, while reappraisal and acceptance showed smaller (small-to-medium)…
This paper reviews research on procrastination and runs a meta-analysis of 691 correlations. It finds that some personality traits (neuroticism, rebelliousness, sensation seeking) have only weak links to procrastination. Strong and consistent predictors include task aversiveness, task delay, low self-efficacy, impulsiveness, and low conscientiousness (including poor self-control, distractibility, poor organization,…
This 2011 review looked at many studies on mindfulness and mental health. It defines mindfulness as paying attention in the present with nonjudgmental acceptance and says this involves both focusing attention and an open, curious attitude. The authors examined three kinds of research—correlational studies, intervention trials, and lab experiments—and concluded…
Anxiety disorders are a group of conditions marked by persistent, excessive fear or worry and behaviors (like avoidance) that cause real trouble in daily life. They are the most common class of psychiatric disorder — large surveys report that up to 33.7% of people will have one in their lifetime…
This 2001 review looked at studies on exercise, anxiety, depression, and stress. It found that short-term emotional effects of exercise are mixed, but many cross-sectional and longitudinal studies report that regular aerobic exercise training reduces anxiety and depression symptoms and may protect against the harmful effects of stress. The clearest…
Researchers tested a nasal spray form of esketamine together with a newly started oral antidepressant in adults whose depression had not improved after trying at least two antidepressants. Over four weeks, people who got esketamine plus a new antidepressant had faster and larger drops in depression symptoms than those who…
This review defines self-compassion as being supportive toward yourself during suffering and presents a six-part model (more self-kindness and common humanity and mindfulness; less self-judgment, isolation, and overidentification). It summarizes a growing set of empirical studies that suggest self-compassion helps people handle distressing thoughts and emotions and is linked to…
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), especially Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), teach people to pay nonjudgmental attention to the present moment. Reviews and randomized trials show MBIs can reduce anxiety and depression symptom severity across many groups, often doing better than non-evidence treatments or active controls and performing…
The source explains what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is and reports research comparing ACT with cognitive therapy (CT). In a randomized trial of 101 outpatients with moderate to severe anxiety or depression, people assigned to ACT or to CT showed large, similar improvements in depression, anxiety, daily functioning, quality…
This article reviews a large body of research on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders. It focuses on two common CBT methods — exposure therapy and cognitive therapy — and concludes that CBT generally works for many anxiety problems. The authors also say it is hard to compare active CBT…
In a community study of 3,021 adolescents and young adults followed for 4–5 years, researchers used structured interviews (DSM‑IV CIDI) and found that most anxiety disorders (except panic disorder) began before depression and were linked to a higher chance of later major depression. Rates of people having both anxiety and…
This review summarizes drug treatments for adult anxiety disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias). It says well-known drugs such as SSRIs and SNRIs are commonly used and approved for some anxiety disorders. The authors found that research into truly new medications is limited, many…
