Women may have a harder time handling anxiety than men, a new study from researchers at Michigan State University suggests. According to a report published in the May 29 edition of the International Journal of Psychophysiology, women's brains, when anxious, are often working harder than male counterparts when exposed to the same stressful situations.
Researchers tested 79 female college students and 70 male college students. Both groups were put through visual identification tests during which their brain activity was monitored. They were then asked about their daily stress levels. Those women who reported having the highest levels of anxiety also had the most brain activity.
"Anxious girls' brains have to work harder to perform tasks because they have distracting thoughts and worries," Jason Moser, lead investigator of the project from the Michigan State University, said in the press release.
"As a result their brains are being kind of burned out by thinking so much, which might set them up for difficulties in school. We already know that anxious kids - and especially anxious girls - have a harder time in some academic subjects such as math."
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.