HealthAugust 25, 2026

anticorrelation

an-tee-kor-uh-LAY-shun

Definition

A relationship between two variables in which an increase in one is associated with a decrease in the other.

Etymology

The word is a combination of the prefix 'anti-' (against or opposite) and 'correlation' (a mutual relationship or connection). It entered scientific usage to describe inverse trends in data sets.

In the news

In the study, the term describes how the amygdala and precuneus normally function in opposition, with activity in one rising while the other falls. Exercise helps maintain this healthy, inverse balance between the two brain regions.

How Exercise May Change the Brain’s Emotional Networks

Read the full article ↗

Psychology Today

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