Fears and Phobias
Fear is not a foreign concept to any of us.
Whether it’s a comical fear like arachnophobia, or a gutting fear like the suspicion of a creepy woman dressed in white in the corner of your room, we’ve all been scared before.
We know it’s normal, and every person has their own fears, but you might find yourself wondering: why is this? Where does fear come from? Why do some enjoy getting scared sh*tless?
I Can’t Shake It Off
The source of fear is our brain.
When we meet something that scares us, the hypothalamus in the brain releases chemicals to the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal-cortical system.
- In the sympathetic nervous system, signals are sent out to release stress hormones, such as adrenaline. This allows the body to become on high alert.
- The adrenal-cortical system also secretes hormones to other parts of the body.This causes bodily changes like making the heart beat faster and pupils dilate.
This reaction is famously known as the fight or flight.
Being Scared is… Good?
I know, I know — it’s difficult to believe that this horrible emotion keeping you from sleeping and driving you to insanity is actually beneficial.
Humans who have used their fear to avoid dangerous situations have had a higher chance of surviving.
Fear helps us to act impulsively and quickly.
- Take this situation, per se: you’re out with your friends and a random stranger puts his hand on your waist. All the panic rushes in and many different fears settle in — this gives you the impulse to pull away and react fast.
However, if your fear is something more trivial like harmless bugs, I’ve got some bad news for you buddy — the only thing you’re getting out of that is being made fun of by your friends.
Got a Thing for Fear?
Scientists have found that people’s brains react differently during the fight-or-flight response.
- This varies according to your brain and how you’re being scared.
One of the hormones released during scary situations is dopamine (the ‘feel good’ hormone).
- This hormone contributes to your happiness.
- When dopamine flows during a fearful situation, some people react more strongly to it.
- This causes the fear to become more like thrills instead — you can probably relate to this if you love scary movies or rollercoaster rides.
Another reason we enjoy being scared is because we know we’re actually safe.
- This same logic applies to horror movies and haunted houses.
- We trick our own brain into triggering the release of adrenaline, hormones, and dopamine, which gives us a new high.
Sources
- Science World. (2017). The Science Behind Fear — Science World. [online] Available at: https://www.scienceworld.ca/stories/science-behind-fear/#:~:text=Fear%20comes%20from%20the%20brain,and%20the%20adrenal%2Dcortical%20system.
- Kounang, N. (2015). What is the science behind fear? [online] CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/health/science-of-fear/index.html
- Bennett, D. (2017). The science of fear: what makes us afraid? [online] BBC Science Focus Magazine. Available at: https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/the-science-of-fear-what-makes-us-afraid/
- Ainissa Ramirez (2014). The Science of Fear. [online] Edutopia. Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-science-of-fear-ainissa-ramirez
