Relaxation phenomena in a class of nondissipative systems with two highly disparate time scales (i.e., Brownian systems) have unique commonalities quantifiable via two scalars. It is shown that the exactly solvable problem of the dynamics of a weakly linked impurity spin in a s=1/2 XY chain belongs to this dynamical universality class and so does that of a heavy mass in an infinite harmonic oscillator chain and a spinless quasi two-dimensional attractive Fermi gas in the long-wavelength limit. The case of the strongly linked impurity in the XY chain is also discussed along with the corresponding limits in the harmonic oscillator chain and the electron-gas problems. © 1996 The American Physical Society.