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Abstract:
Introduction: The relationship between anxious and depressive traits and exploration behavior has been examined in several studies with mixed results. Across two studies, our results suggest worrying to be a causal factor linking anxious and depressive traits to increased exploration behaviour.Methods: Two studies were conducted. The first study compared exploration behavior on a risky and a safe version of a multi-armed bandit task. We measured a range of traits implicated in anxiety and depressivity and used computational modeling to assess potential task strategies. The second study used only the risky version of the multi-armed bandit task and a psychotherapy-based intervention to reduce worries.Results: In the first study, traits related to worrying were found to be associated with increased exploration behavior, particularly in the risky version of the task. Computational modeling revealed that subjects with a high propensity to worry were less likely to switch to a more risk-averse strategy in the risky task, leading to increased exploration behavior. In the second study, experimentally reducing worries resulted in the expected decrease in exploration behavior.Conclusion: These results suggest that worrying may be a causal mechanism connecting anxious and depressive traits to increased exploration behavior, particularly when there are risks involved. The findings also highlight the potential effectiveness of psychotherapy-based interventions targeting worries in altering behaviour.
