‘Safety signals’ may help slow down anxiety

For as many as one in three people, life events or situations that pose no real danger can spark a disabling fear, a hallmark of anxiety and stress-related disorders. Researchers at Yale University and Weill Cornell Medicine report on a novel way that could help combat such anxiety. In humans and in mice, a ‘safety signal’ — a symbol or a sound that is never associated with adverse events — can relieve anxiety through an entirely different brain network than that activated by existing behavioral therapy.