WHAT IS FEAR?WHAT IS FEAR?

Fear is....• ....The brain’s response to a stimulus, like pain or danger.

• ....Developed as a result of learning from past experiences

• ....Relating to the future or to something currently happening

• ....“Pre-programmed” into everyone

• ....Different from anxiety, which is fear of the future due to loss of control

Why does fear develop?

• We evolved with fear because it allows us to recognize danger, and choose whether to fight it or escape it

• Fear is usually caused by a traumatic experience, which can also be generalized to include other things

• Fear can also be caused by seeing someone else afraid or suffering, and assuming that you will be put into their situation

• Fear can also cause anxiety or panic

Why would fear go away?

• Certain neurochemicals (specifically, DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate, or APV) can cause aphobia, or the temporary loss of fear.

• Aphobia is the brain’s way of telling you when something else is more (evolutionarily) important than yourself

• Usually, analglesia (loss of pain) happens at the same time

• Aphobia is a survival mechanism; it allows people to band together in the face of danger

• Psychopaths feel much less fear than others

A Brain Map

Sensory data is collected by the thalamus, processed by the sensory cortex, and sorted into the amygdala (fear) hypothalamus (fight vs. flight reflex) or

hippocampus (memory)

Brain Map Part Two

• The amygdala responds to threats and fear in others

• People are still capable of reacting to fear without their amygdala

• Stress, bacteria, and viruses can cause decreased activity in the amygdala

Bibliography

• Layton, Julia.  "How Fear Works" HowStuffWorks.com. 13 September 2005. Web. 11 April 2012. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/fear.htm>

• Johri, Ashish. "Traversing the Realm of Fear." Jyotikalash. 27 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.jyotikalash.net/tow_27032011.php>.

• "Fear of Death." Open Yale Courses. Yale University. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://oyc.yale.edu/philosophy/phil-176/lecture-22>.