The brain system that stops worriers just going with the flow

The brain system that stops worriers just going with the flow. Chronic worriers are more likely to use analytical thought processes when making decisions rather than relying on 'gut instincts', according to a new University of Sussex study published this week. A team of psychologists reviewed the body of research in recent years that has identified two systems used by the brain for processing information. 'Systematic processing' is characterized by effortful thought, often involving analyzing all the available evidence before coming to a conclusion. 'Heuristic processing' is the swift, intuitive response - the sort of reaction elicited by a sudden and unexpected threat. In the paper, published in Clinical Psychology Review , Dr Suzanne Dash and her colleagues point to evidence that suggests extensive worrying activates the same area of the brain as systematic processing (the left frontal lobe), whereas heuristic processing is associated with the right frontal lobe. Dr Dash explains: "We tend to use systematic processing when we feel highly motivated and also when our actual confidence in the decision that we are making is not as good as we would like it to be.