Can Worrying Disrupt Your Memory?

If you constantly worry, your memory may pay the price. Several studies have found that worry and anxiety can disrupt a person's memory, especially in adults. If you think about it, this really isn't surprising. How many times have you forgotten other important things because one worry occupied all of your thoughts? Anxiety can make you forget your tasks for the day, your meals and even your happy memories.

At least two research efforts can be cited here. First, researchers at Rush University in Chicago found that people who experience negative emotions more often are more likely to develop memory problems as they age (R.S. Wilson et al., Chronic distress and incidence of mild cognitive impairment, Neurology, 2007). In the study, people who were more prone to psychological distress, negative emotions and anxiety were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment.

The findings suggest that chronic stress and worry may affect the area of the brain that governs the stress response, which is also involved in memory. In other words, there appears to be a link between worrying and memory problems. If you want to keep your memory sharp, try to stay positive and keep your worrying in check.

The second piece of research comes from North Carolina (Mikels, Fredrickson et al., Emotion and Working Memory: Evidence for Domain-Specific Processes for Affective Maintenance, 2008). It suggested that thinking positively can help preserve good memory as a person grows older. Interestingly, the research also suggested that people who believe it is natural for memory to decline with age are more likely to experience memory problems themselves. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Everyone has to deal with negative emotions at some point. The way each of us responds to stress tends to stay fairly consistent over the years, which is why many experts recommend learning ways to stop yourself from worrying too much on a daily basis.

Aside from thinking positively and managing anxiety, you can also work on keeping a good memory through regular memory training. See our tips on how to improve your memory to get started.