A new study conducted by Swiss neuroscientists at Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lusanne (EPFL) has discovered a brain region connecting anxiety to low social status.
Yahoo Health reports scientists have found a cure for that mental health problem. A drug rich in vitamin B3 could reportedly boost brain functions which could help improve your social life.
For their study, researchers used highly-anxious rats in a series of behavioral tests since rats, just like humans, also establish social ranks through competition. They focused on the brain region called nucleus accumbens --- which is responsible for motivation, depression and reward for both humans and animals.
Results show that rats with high anxiety levels have shown poor energy metabolism due to impaired mitochondria --- the tiny structures found in our cells that generate energy. According to researchers, a vitamin B3 supplement designed to enhance mitochondria reduced the rats' anxiety and improved their social skills.
"Social interactions are immensely complex," said study's lead author Carmen Sandi. "They involve so many factors that it is anxious personality affects social competitiveness of individuals, and it points to very promising directions in this difficult to examine the impact of each in isolation. However, this is an exciting finding; it shows a brain mechanism whereby field."
"Social anxiety is characterized by fear and avoidance of social situations, and what that means is that people often have beliefs about themselves and the world around them that just aren't right," said Evan Mayo-Wilson, DPhil, Assistant Scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who was not involved with the study. "They think that terrible things will happen if they encounter these social situations."
Mayo pointed out, however, that treating mental disorders such as anxiety is more effective with cognitive behavioral therapies than taking prescription drugs.
"We have done research on different forms of therapy and the most effective seems to be cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)," he said. "I think drugs are useful for some people, but I worry that in emphasizing that the brain is a living organism with electrical and chemical signals, we de-emphasize the importance of behavioral change and of psychological interventions."
Yahoo Health adds that eating more fermented food and getting involved with exercise and relaxation activities could also help improve your mental health.
