{
  "abstract": "Worry is common both in mental health and distress. What, then, distinguishes pathological worry? We hypothesized that what characterizes pathological worry is excessive internal search that fails to resolve uncertainty; i.e., is uninformative. In an information sampling paradigm, increased sampling was predicted both by trait (p = .018) and—more powerfully—state worry (p < .001). An information-poor environment significantly increased sampling in high worriers (p < 0.001, CrI 1.1% inside Region of Practical Equivalence defined as <0.2 SD), but not low worriers (p = 0.480, CrI 68.2% in ROPE). Crucially, this increase in sampling in high worriers did not increase their accuracy (CrI 97.5% inside ROPE). A ‘sampling until success’ heuristic was identified as a driver. Stimulus uncertainty and aversiveness had similar effects on sampling and worry, increasing both (p < 0.001). Persistent searching—in the face of irreducible uncertainty—may therefore be a key mechanism behind worry, differentiating high from low worrying.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Alexis An Yee Low"
    },
    {
      "name": "Karl Friston"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michael Moutoussis"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/epqwp4zykdx9c.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.31234/osf.io/2cmgw_v2",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "epqwp4zykdx9c",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/2cmgw_v2/",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "bepress",
      "Cognitive Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Cognitive Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Emotion"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Psychiatry"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Social and Behavioral Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3205|Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223011140",
  "pdf_url": "https://osf.io/2cmgw/download",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-13",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/epqwp4zykdx9c.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:37Z",
      "native_id": "2cmgw",
      "source": "osf",
      "url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/2cmgw_v2/"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "bepress:Cognitive Neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "bepress:Psychiatry",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Worry is underpinned by persistence in searching uninformative avenues",
  "title_text": "Worry is underpinned by persistence in searching uninformative avenues",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/epqwp4zykdx9c",
  "venue": "PsyArXiv",
  "versions": []
}