How about closed spaces like a crowded elevator? Do you avoid them? These are some of the most common fears amongst adults. We may be afraid of many things but what are the two fears we are born with? These are some of the many social situations that elicit a range of emotions — from a little anxiety to a full-blown fear or panic attack.
Almost everyone is afraid of something. Here is a question? Are these fears inherent? If yes, then what fears are we born with? The fact is that when babies are born they only have two inborn fears. Which are these two inborn fears that we are born with? When I ask this question — almost everyone gives the incorrect answers.
What are your guesses? Fear of the dark? Fear of being separated from mother? Fear of going hungry? What other fears? The answer also is surprising for most people. Babies are fearless to the extent of being kamikaze! They get into anything and everything. However, babies are born with two inborn fears — fear of falling down, and fear of loud noises. In an experiment in the s when babies were placed on a platform with a transparent plexiglass extension, babies stopped when they reached the edge from the fear of falling off.
All babies have an inborn perception of depth and are afraid of falling down. If we toss a baby in the air suddenly it evokes the startling response. Of course, when a baby is expecting it and is used to being tossed in the air and then caught by a parent, they learn to enjoy it. Loud noises could mean that there is some danger around the corner and evoke a response known as acoustic startle reflex. Most fear is learned. Spiders, snakes, the dark -- these are called natural fears, developed at a young age, influenced by our environment and culture.
So a young child isn't automatically scared of spiders, but builds on cues from his parents. While the fear itself is learned, though, humans seem to be predisposed to fear certain things like spiders and snakes because of evolution. In fact, studies have found that when asked to pick out spiders and snakes from a collection of pictures, both preschoolers and adults react more quickly than when asked to pick out non-threatening items -- like flowers -- from the same collection.
That's believed to happen because of the bias we have carried toward them throughout time. As we get older, fears are developed because of association.
Norrholm compares it to a combat veteran who survives an encounter with an IED that was hidden in a shopping bag. If that vet is redeployed and sees another shopping bag, "he has a fight or flight response. Here, an association has been made between the cue and the fear outcome.
It's the same exact response a child has to scary Halloween decorations. A young child may not know that a skeleton is a scary, until his parents say over and over how skeleton decorations are spooky.
How does the brain process fear? When presented with something that scares you, your brain reacts with its fight or flight response. For example, if you see a snake while hiking, there are two roadways for your brain, said Norrholm. First is the low road that represents your brains sensory systems in the brain's amygdala. It's "what you see, smell, hear," and signals to the brain that this is something to fear.
It's the adrenaline response that tells your heart to beat faster and your body to sweat. Almost simultaneously, there's a high road reaction. The high road says 'I've seen this kind of snake before, and I don't have to worry'," said Norrholm. Think of it as the reasoning response that overrides the low road. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control our brain's reward and pleasure centers.
And the more that thrill-seekers seek out the dangerous behavior, the better they are able to engage the cortical high road, and provide the rational context that the thrill-seeking behavior isn't dangerous. Extreme sports athletes are a great example of this: They continue their dangerous behavior because each time they do it, they survive, Norrholm said. There are some people who genuinely seem to enjoy being scared. A young child might not know about scary things until his parents or society embed them into him over and over again.
Till the point, he developed fear against it. The answer to the above question is yes. A study on specific fears and phobias between men and women demonstrated that 5. The fear of animals in women is about Hence, women give higher ratings of fear compare to men.
These statistics were determined from randomly selected respondents. They were aged between 18 to 70 years old. The analysis was based on the following classification;. Another research between men and women was done on social fear conditioning and social anxiety disorder. It was found that compared to men, women have a twice more social anxiety disorder. There were 60 contributors whose outcomes were divided into primary and secondary. The primary has different emotional reactions level. There were four levels, i.
Simultaneously, the secondary was based on personal traits, heart rate, contingency ratings, and skin conductance response.
Fear is not a bad thing. Besides, it has become a necessity for survival. It only gets worse if it becomes a phobia. Various studies have concluded that some of our fears can easily be overcome when we continuously face them.
This exposure to our feathers will grow our tolerance level. Hence, it will help in overcoming them. The first step in overcoming the fear is to be aware of fear. Hence, analyze your reaction towards your fear. Tell yourself it is normal to have fear and calm down your emotions.
In case if you cannot manage yourself, there is no humiliation in seeking medical aid. Being human beings, we all have various sorts of fears. In contrast, fear helps you in guarding against dangerous circumstances. Hence, we need to communicate ourselves and manage our fears.
Exposing yourself to something you are afraid of helps in overcoming it to a greater extent. For instance, if you are afraid of cats. So, visit your friends who have cats and interact with them. Besides, your friends can also help you in dealing with cats. Hence, you can spend more time facing your fear. Suppose a person is having social anxiety and avoids going to crowded places. Over time, you will eventually overcome it.
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