Fear: a signal of danger or pain, real or imagined
Fear is an instinctive emotion that can be real or imagined. You see danger, pain or harm coming your way.
How does fear work?
As you perceive danger, fear instantly activates the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ instinct in your body and mind. Your instinctive reactions take over your cognitive thinking, prepping you to act fast. Think about how quickly you would react if you saw a car hurtling towards you. Sometimes the object of danger can be in your imagination but your physiological reaction is the same. Fear works in your mind and your body and your soul.
What chemicals does fear release and where in the brain?
Like most of your instinctive emotions, the fear reaction starts in the amygdala part of your brain. The autonomic nervous system is stimulated following signals from the amygdala to the hypothalamus, and the adrenal glands release the chemical hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These hormones prepare your body for the ‘fight or flight’ reactions.
What fear are you born with?
The instinctive feeling of fear, one of the seven instinctive emotions, has been hard wired into your brain as an evolutionary survival mechanism. You are born with an instinctive emotional fear but all emotions have a subjective element, which evolves with time and experience. Science says that you are born with two innate fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling.
Irrational fears are phobias
A persistent fear, that is not a real danger, which affects your quality of life is termed a phobia, for example fear of confined or crowded spaces is called claustrophobia. There are common fears such as the sight of blood or needles, which can become phobias.
How to overcome fear
A very common question is ‘how to overcome fear’. In some cases, fear can be useful, it drives you to take action to stay safe. To overcome fear, be mindful that it is a momentary instinctive reaction with a physiological element which will abate once your cognitive thinking has assessed the situation. Taking a step back, deep breathing and training your mind can help you with fear.
Fear: a signal of danger or pain, real or imagined
The instinctive feeling of fear, one of the seven instinctive emotions, has been hard wired into your brain as an evolutionary survival mechanism. Think what would happen if you were face to face with a wild beast, what it would take for your body to deal with the danger.
For more information about Fear you might be interested in these other articles:
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How does fear affect your soul?
What hormones are connected to fear?
