Worry is underpinned by persistence in searching uninformative avenues
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Worry is common both in mental health and distress. What, then, distinguishes pathological worry? We hypothesized that what characterizes pathological worry is excessive internal search that fails to resolve uncertainty; i.e., is uninformative. In an information sampling paradigm, increased sampling was predicted both by trait (p = .018) and—more powerfully—state worry (p < .001). An information-poor environment significantly increased sampling in high worriers (p < 0.001, CrI 1.1% inside Region of Practical Equivalence defined as <0.2 SD), but not low worriers (p = 0.480, CrI 68.2% in ROPE). Crucially, this increase in sampling in high worriers did not increase their accuracy (CrI 97.5% inside ROPE). A ‘sampling until success’ heuristic was identified as a driver. Stimulus uncertainty and aversiveness had similar effects on sampling and worry, increasing both (p < 0.001). Persistent searching—in the face of irreducible uncertainty—may therefore be a key mechanism behind worry, differentiating high from low worrying.
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223011140