In this paper, we seek to understand the causes of chronic anxiety in order to learn how to overcome this disorder. Previous research has found that decreases in anxiety are associated with decreases in amygdala activity and increases in consumption of the fatty acid DHA, while increases in anxiety are associated with having higher levels of the inflammatory protein interleukin-6. In our correlational study, we tested the strength of these relationships by examining naturalistic daily changes in their variables longitudinally over a two-week period. We measured amygdala activity by measuring the difference in heart rate before and after watching a scary video, DHA levels by calculating the amount of DHA consumed each day, levels of interleukin-6 by daily body temperature daily, and anxiety levels by ratings on a scale of 0-10. Data pooled across participants in our correlation study showed significant correlations of anxiety levels with amygdala activity and DHA intake, but not with interlueken-6.
