The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Fear
Imagine yourself in the following situations for a few moments:
• Up in the sky, screaming at the top of your lungs inside a roller coaster
• Fleeing a shark while swimming in the middle of the sea
• Giving your first public speech in front of a packed stadium
• Watching a horror movie on Halloween with your best buddies while eating popcorn
All of these experiences involve feeling scared and a pounding heart, yet no two fears are created equal. Some fears are a part of our evolutionary instincts as they make us identify and avoid or flee harmful situations, while some fears give us a sense of excitement. We intentionally seek these ‘fun’ types of fears during Halloween. Let’s dig in and see how fear can be both harmful and useful in our lives and how we can have the right types of fear that help us rather than haunt us.
Let’s start with the definition of fear. According to the American Psychological Association’s Dictionary of Psychology:
“Fear is a basic, intense emotion aroused by the detection of imminent threat, involving an immediate alarm reaction that mobilizes the organism by triggering a set of physiological changes. These include rapid heartbeat, redirection of blood flow away from the periphery toward the gut, tensing of the muscles, and a general mobilization of the organism to take action.”
Where does fear come from?
There are different ways that humans acquire fear — some fears are innate while some are acquired from our experiences or through social learning.
Innate fears are hardwired in the human brain and serve to keep us safe from harmful situations; examples of these fears are fear of loud noises and fear of falling. In addition to these innate fears, animals learn to fear things that hurt them or make them uncomfortable. Studies have shown that humans can acquire fear not only through experience but also through instruction and observation.
Although there are some universal fears, there are many fears that are specific to a person depending upon their genetic tendencies and environment. The nature of fears change over a human’s lifetime. As humans are incredibly good at learning, we keep overcoming fears and learning new fears throughout our lives.
What happens inside our brain and body when we are scared?
Fear stimuli (which could be a real danger such as an attaching shark, or an irrational danger such as clowns) set off complex circuitry in our brains that initiates a physiological response. The following parts of the brain are activated when we sense fear:
• Thalamus - decides where to send incoming sensory data (from eyes, ears, mouth, skin)
• Sensory cortex - interprets sensory data
• Hippocampus - stores and retrieves conscious memories; processes sets of stimuli to establish context
• Amygdala - decodes emotions; determines possible threat; stores fear memories
• Hypothalamus - activates "fight or flight" response
Parts Of The Brain
In response to the actions initiated in the brain, our bodies experience the following effects that we associate with feeling fearful:
• Heart rate and blood pressure increase
• Pupils dilate to take in as much light as possible
• Veins in our skin constrict to send more blood to major muscle groups (responsible for the "chill" sometimes associated with fear - less blood in the skin to keep it warm)
• Blood-glucose level increases
• Muscles tense up, energized by adrenaline and glucose (responsible for goose bumps -- when tiny muscles attached to each hair on surface of skin tense up, the hairs are forced upright, pulling skin with them)
• Smooth muscle relaxes to allow more oxygen into the lungs
• Nonessential systems (like digestion and immune system) shut down to allow more energy for emergency functions
• Trouble focusing on small tasks (brain is directed to focus only on big picture in to determine where threat is coming from)
The effects of fear on our lives:
Fear affects our lives in many ways: it has a critical part in keeping human species alive by keeping us safe from fatal dangers, yet chronic fear could be harmful by causing mental health challenges.
The Good
Fear can be a lifesaver
We owe our existence, in part, to our fear response. Fear has kept the human species ahead of all potential dangers such as predators, natural disasters, and hostile living conditions. Although we are not living in the wild where we might need to fend off wild animals to stay alive, we still face many dangerous situations every day. The fear circuitry in our brain constantly stays on watch to detect any threats to our lives and alerts us in case any risk is detected. If we suspect that a stranger is following us in a deserted alley, our fear response will kick in to make sure that we either outrun the stranger or fight the potential threat to our life. Fear also ensures that we use electricity safely, drive carefully, and be vigilant whenever we are exposed to dangerous situations.
Fear can be fun
Fear excites our senses to take action in case of impending danger. But, if we know that there is no real danger and we are safe, we can exploit the fear-inducing stimuli to create fun experiences. Indulging in a predictable and safe scary experience, such as visiting a haunted house or watching a horror movie entertains and excites instead of causing negative emotions associated with fear or anxiety.
The science behind the fun of fear is that physiologically, our fear and excitement responses are quite similar. If we can anticipate fearful situations beforehand, we activate the reward centres of the brain. In other words, knowing that we are about to be scared makes the situation enjoyable rather than fearful. The two key points that make fear enjoyable are the knowledge that there is no real harm coming our way and that we are in control of the situation.
The Bad
Let’s now discuss a potentially harmful not-so-good manifestation of fear: phobias.
“A phobia is an intense and persistent fear that is not based on any rational sense of imminent danger and prevents participation in activities that might arouse it.”
There are three main types of phobias:
Agoraphobias: fear of places where escape might not be easy or where help might not be readily available if something bad happens
Social phobias: fear of encounters with other people
Specific phobias: fear of a particular thing or situation, such as snakes, public speaking, heights or the sight of blood
Some of the most common phobias are:
Acrophobia, fear of heights
Aerophobia, fear of flying
Arachnophobia, fear of spiders
Astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning
Autophobia, fear of being alone
Claustrophobia, fear of confined or crowded spaces
Hemophobia, fear of blood
Hydrophobia, fear of water
Ophidiophobia, fear of snakes
Zoophobia, fear of animals
And then there are some unique phobias like:
Onomatophobia, fear of names
Pogonophobia, fear of beards
Xanthophobia, fear of the colour yellow
While many people who have phobias can live their lives just fine, sometimes an irrational fear can get in the way of a healthy and happy life. To keep our phobias in check, it’s good practice to be aware of our irrational fears and be ready to face them if they are affecting our lives. There are many options to overcome phobias such as counselling, mindfulness practices, and cognitive behavioural therapy. Consulting a mental health care professional is the best first step if you feel that a phobia is limiting your life.
The Ugly
While fear is a part of our lives and it has a crucial role in keeping us safe from fatal and harmful situations, there is an ugly side of fear which manifests in the form of mental health disorders. Fear can be a symptom of mental health conditions including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The potential effects of chronic fear on overall health include:
Immune system dysfunction
Endocrine system dysfunction
Autonomic nervous system alterations
Sleep/wake cycle disruption
Eating disorders
Phobic anxiety
Mood swings
Obsessive-compulsive thoughts
As the intensity and types of fear are personal to individuals, it is important that we are mindful of the effects fear has on our lives and work with a mental health professional in case we need help to keep our fears in check.
Here is a challenge for you this Halloween: think about your fears and list the ways they are affecting your life. Being aware of our fears is a great starting point to tackle them and get help if you need.
Do you have any of the following top 5 fears that a sample of 1,500 Canadian adults reported in a survey?
#1 - Snakes - 40%
#2 - Heights - 34%
#3 - Public Speaking - 33%
#4 - Spiders - 31%
#5 - Natural disasters - 30%
Let us know in the comments.
Further Reading Suggestions and References:
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