Review

Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework

Volume: 10 Number: 1 June 30, 2026
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Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework

Abstract

The article reconsiders anxiety in neurofinance by treating it not only as a source of bias or pathology but also as a regulatory signal that may support financial judgment under uncertainty. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, affective neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and behavioral finance, the study develops a selective and structured narrative review of the literature on anxiety, threat anticipation, loss processing, ambiguity, reward–punishment learning, attention, and impulse control. Its starting point is Freud’s concept of anxiety as a danger signal, which is extended through contemporary evidence on amygdala–prefrontal regulation, autonomic arousal, vigilance, and decision-making under risk and ambiguity. The central argument is that anxiety has a dialectical structure. When proportionate and regulated, it may enhance vigilance, early loss detection, cautious risk evaluation, delayed action, and disciplined portfolio monitoring. When overactivated, the same signal may produce threat fixation, cognitive narrowing, asymmetrical learning from losses, excessive liquidity preference, panic selling, and reactive decision-making. The article therefore proposes a tension-based framework in which anxiety operates between adaptive regulation and maladaptive dysregulation. This framework connects individual affective calibration to broader financial behavior without reducing anxiety to either a clinical disorder or a simple cognitive bias. The article contributes to neurofinance by showing how anxiety may function as both a stabilizing and destabilizing force in financial decision-making.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This study received no financial support from any institution, organization, or funding body. All stages of the research were conducted independently by the author.

Ethical Statement

This study adheres to the principles of scientific research and publication ethics. No ethical misconduct was involved in the research process, and the work was prepared entirely by the author. As the study does not involve human or animal subjects, ethical committee approval was not required.

References

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  2. Armstrong, C. H., & Hoge, E. A. (2024). Associations of delay discounting rate with anxiety disorder symptomatology and diagnoses. The Psychological Record, 74(1), 59-74.
  3. Bechara, A., Damasio, A. R., Damasio, H., & Anderson, S. W. (1994). Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex. Cognition, 50(1–3), 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(94)90018-3.
  4. Beck, A. T., Brown, G., Steer, R. A., Eidelson, J. I., & Riskind, J. H. (1987). Differentiating anxiety and depression: a test of the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96(3), 179.
  5. Beckers, T., & Craske, M. G. (2017). Avoidance and decision making in anxiety: An introduction to the special issue. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 96, 1.
  6. Bekker, H. L., Legare, F., Stacey, D., O’Connor, A., & Lemyre, L. (2003). Is anxiety a suitable measure of decision aid effectiveness: a systematic review? Patient Education and Counseling, 50(3), 255-262.
  7. Berger-Gross, V., Kahn, M. W., & Weare, C. R. (1983). The role of anxiety in the career decision making of liberal arts students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 22(3), 312-323.
  8. Bernaola, D. M., Willows, G. D., & West, D. (2021). The relevance of anger, anxiety, gender and race in investment decisions. Mind Society, 20(1), 1-21.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Finance and Investment (Other)

Journal Section

Review

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

November 19, 2025

Acceptance Date

April 29, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 10 Number: 1

APA
Polat, Y. (2026). Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework. Kapadokya Akademik Bakış, 10(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.69851/car.1826163
AMA
1.Polat Y. Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework. CAR. 2026;10(1):1-25. doi:10.69851/car.1826163
Chicago
Polat, Yusuf. 2026. “Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework”. Kapadokya Akademik Bakış 10 (1): 1-25. https://doi.org/10.69851/car.1826163.
EndNote
Polat Y (June 1, 2026) Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework. Kapadokya Akademik Bakış 10 1 1–25.
IEEE
[1]Y. Polat, “Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework”, CAR, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–25, June 2026, doi: 10.69851/car.1826163.
ISNAD
Polat, Yusuf. “Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework”. Kapadokya Akademik Bakış 10/1 (June 1, 2026): 1-25. https://doi.org/10.69851/car.1826163.
JAMA
1.Polat Y. Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework. CAR. 2026;10:1–25.
MLA
Polat, Yusuf. “Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework”. Kapadokya Akademik Bakış, vol. 10, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 1-25, doi:10.69851/car.1826163.
Vancouver
1.Yusuf Polat. Rethinking Anxiety in Neurofinance: A Dialectical Framework. CAR. 2026 Jun. 1;10(1):1-25. doi:10.69851/car.1826163