Anxious ultimatums: how anxiety disorders affect socioeconomic behaviour

Cogn Emot. 2013;27(2):230-44. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2012.698982. Epub 2012 Jul 9.

Abstract

Although the role of emotion in socioeconomic decision making is increasingly recognised, the impact of specific emotional disorders, such as anxiety disorders, on these decisions has been surprisingly neglected. Twenty anxious patients and twenty matched controls completed a commonly used socioeconomic task (the Ultimatum Game), in which they had to accept or reject monetary offers from other players. Anxious patients accepted significantly more unfair offers than controls. We discuss the implications of these findings in light of recent models of anxiety, in particular the importance of interpersonal factors and assertiveness in an integrated model of decision making. Finally, we were able to show that pharmacological serotonin used to treat anxious symptomatology tended to normalise decision making, further confirming and extending the role of serotonin in co-operation, prosocial behaviour, and social decision making. These results show, for the first time, a different pattern of socioeconomic behaviour in anxiety disordered patients, in addition to the known memory, attentional and emotional biases that are part of this pathological condition.

Publication types

  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anxiety Disorders / drug therapy
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Decision Making* / drug effects
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Social Behavior
  • Socioeconomic Factors

Substances

  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors