A hypothesis about acupuncture's anxiolytic mechanism of action and its effect on the formation of self-efficacy beliefs and academic performance

Pre-exam anxiety is highly prevalent among students of all educational levels, leading to decreased performance. This anxiety causes psychological and physiological changes related to stress, which can affect the formation of self-efficacy beliefs. Studies have shown a correlation between pre-exam anxiety, self-efficacy and academic performance. Acupuncture (AC) has an anxiolytic effect recognized in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and anxiety in the pre-operative and pre-exam period. Stress-related variables such as cortisol level, blood pressure and heart rate can be modulated by AC. Brain regions related to the control of the autonomic nervous system, emotional, memory and cognitive processing are also modulated by AC. Therefore, the aim of this study is present a hypothesis about how the AC reduces anxiety and stress through neuroendocrine modulation, optimizing the formation of self-efficacy beliefs, which promote behaviors responsible for improved performance.