Minutes

Smederevac, Snežana; Mitrović, Dušanka; Mihić, Ljiljana; Sadiković, Selka; Dinić, Bojana M.; Milutinović, Aleksandra; Belopavlović, Radomir; Corr, Philip J. (2025). Demarcation of anxiety and fear: Evidence from behavioral genetics. Journal of Affective Disorders, 373, 208–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.12.101

Is the basis for fear and anxiety the same? Serbian psychologists used a twin study to determine whether these two emotions share the same biological and environmental roots. 

 Using a Serbian database, psychology researchers compared 742 adult fraternal and identical twins. They measured anxiety, panic, agoraphobia, and social phobia, along with personality traits related to anxiety and fear. By comparing identical twins, who share nearly all their genes, with fraternal twins, who share about half, researchers estimated how much genetics versus life experiences contribute to emotional patterns. 

 Results? Anxiety-related traits and disorders share a common genetic foundation, primarily a tendency to remain highly alert to threats. However, fear-related conditions, such as panic, show unique influences that help distinguish them from anxiety. Thus, the genetic basis for anxiety and fear differs. 

Anxiety disorders are often grouped, but may develop through different pathways. Understanding these differences might help researchers develop more targeted treatments.  

So, feeling anxious about what might happen tomorrow is not quite the same as immediately feeling fear in the face of danger. While the two emotions share some biological roots, distinguishing the difference between fear and anxiety may allow one to respond more appropriately.  

Written by Dan Peacock B.S.