It has already been established that depression and anxiety are two very different things. While depressed people are not necessarily suffering from anxiety problems, the two can occur at the same time. A group of researchers also found out that a certain type and level of anxiety can actually counter the negative effects of depression. In some cases, depressed subjects, when worried, perform better thinking patterns.
Using fMRI or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, subjects who were depressed and not anxious, depressed and worried, and depressed and panicky were tested. They were given word tasks to monitor their brain functions, and it was found out that subjects who were depressed and panicky performed very differently from depressed subjects who were worried but not fearful.
By a mile, depressed subjects who only had low levels of anxiety were actually able to block out the emotional meaning of the words and they were able to focus on the surface value or “color” of the words given to them. For some reason, low levels of anxiety counteracted with depression to stabilize the brain functions of depressed subjects.
On the other hand, fearful or vigilant and depressed subjects were too affected by the emotional content of the words to perform well. High levels of anxiety then heightened their distress levels, clouding much of their judgment, which could often help them fight their depression.
Worry can sometimes be a good thing according to head researcher Gregory A. Miller. Sometimes it can help you focus better or even come up with better plans. This study was conducted by a team of researchers in the University of Illinois. Miller conducted the study with Illinois psychology professor Wendy Heller.