top of page
When you are afraid, you start going into fight or flight mode. Your body starts prioritising what is needed for immediate survival - screw routine body functions, if you don't make it past the next few moments there won't be a routine to return to. You stop digesting food. Cell repair slows or stops. You stop producing saliva, which is why your mouth goes dry when you're nervous just before making a speech or going into a difficult conversation. Your heart rate and breathing increase to ensure better blood flow. A cocktail of hormones like epinephrine and oxytocin are cued up and produced, which amplifies your body's ability to act (and remarkably, in the case of oxytocin, reminds you to seek help).
Don't be mistaken about what happens when you feel fear. Your body is readying itself to help you face what you fear in the way it knows how.
What causes us to feel fear?
1) Fear occurs to us unconsciously. Do you pause to think, hey, very angry looking snake! Maybe I should be scared. Of course not, it would be too late! Fear becomes much clearer when we examine what happens inside your brain. When you are afraid, the fear/anger/aggression/anxiety centre of your brain - the amygdalas (get used to this name, it's gonna keep popping up) lights up. And we've covered all the changes that happen in your body: your blood pressure, your hormones, your heart-rate. But remember how amygdala is like a train interchange with direct routes to different parts of your brain? There is a direct neural link between our amygdala and your pre-frontal cortex, the rational thinking part of your brain. And if we look closely enough or we think things through, sometimes we realise, argh! it's not an angry snake, it's just a prank toy that your annoying friend had thrown at you. Or if you've handled angry snakes enough times, your amygdala does not light as much. Your blood pressure and your heart rate do not increase as much, you realise what you need to do is to stay calm and slowly back away.
Finally, notice how fear, anger, aggression, and anxiety are processed by the same part of the brain, the amygdala. This is no coincidence. These 4 emotions are closely tied to one another; aggression maybe triggered because one is nervous, angry, or fearful. Being fearful may cause one to react angrily, as a self-defense mechanism. Fear, like all our emotions, happens to us. Mostly, we can't control how it originates. But we can control how it develops by understanding what exactly is causing fear and by choosing the response that dispels it
2) We fear what we are unconfident or uncertain about. Think back on your ancestors doing something they weren't confident or certain off - hunting a massive animal without a weapon, or eating a berry they've never seen before. Doing so would mean a very high chance of seriously harming themselves. Today, after many cycles of evolution, we have been wired based on these experiences.
Think about it. Are you ever fearful of something you've done before, and are good? Brushing your teeth, putting on your clothes, indulging in your favourite hobby (whatever it is)? Of course not. You know you can perform these functions easily. You are confident.
But many of us would have felt fearful and anxious the first time we ventured into something new: using a pair of chopsticks, riding a bicycle, swimming, going on a first date. We were uncertain about these functions, and we were not confident about performing them. However, once we have demonstrated to ourselves that we are able to perform these tasks, we are no longer afraid. The same applies to more challenging tasks. Some of us struggle with: public speaking, starting a business, having a very difficult conversation with the CEO... You are uncertain and unconfident if you can succeed. But once you have proven to yourself you are able to do it, even for the more challenging tasks, you are no longer afraid. People might start off feeling scared about public speaking, but after speech 3797, you're pro The catch, of course, is that sometimes, we are too scared to start.
Even if we were certain of something OR confident about something, many of us will still feel some amount of fear. We might be theoretically certain how we should use a pair of chopsticks, but if we have never succeeded in using them properly, we remain unconfident and will still feel nervous if we had to use them, especially when others are observing. You might also be confident about
3) we fear what is painful. Boxer. climbing 100 flights of stairs or doing 100 burpees. But pain is not just physical but mental. Failure is painful. Being judged is painful.
This is why you procrastinate. You either fear what you have to do bevause you don't know how to do it (you don't fear brushing your teeth for example), or you fear doing something becaue you know it will be effortful
4) we fear what we cannot control
Learn more about your amygdala, the amygdala hijack, the thalamus, the pre-frontal cortex, and how your brain works here.
​
Summary:
- Fear and anxiety (and anger + aggression) are always
We've just newly shifted in!
We're in the process of transferring from a previous platform.
Do check back for new content!
New
 Dread |  Learned Helplessness |  2nd/3rd waves of Covid. Why are people panic-buying again when they know there's no need to?! Aren't they worried about getting infected? |
|---|---|---|
 Can you learn how to play the piano without touching a piano? |  Why won't people want free vouchers? |  A teen is removed from a WhatsApp group he created. He attempts suicide. Why is this not surprising? How do we make sense of rising teenage suicides? |
 The interaction between logic and emotions |  Souperman: How much soup will you drink if the bowl refilled itself? |  You share breath with everyone who ever lived. |
 In our daily lives, most of us are terrified of mice. So how has Mickey Mouse been popular for generations? |  I really have no idea what I want to do with my life. Where should I start? |  How can we get ourselves to save more? |
 Trust is beneficial Revenge is sweet |
Popular
 The King's Gambit. How did this King change the preference of an entire nation? |  Emotions are bad!! Wouldn't life be so much better if we could just all be rational? |  Why helping someone when you are stressed is one of the best things you can do. |
|---|---|---|
 Are males really better at math than females? |  The difference between winners & losers - and the effects it has on us |  Why do some of our most creative ideas come when we're not thinking about them? |
 Are we Good Samaritans? |  Why is there a best time to see a judge? If this true, what does this mean? |  Even experts struggle to make decisions. |
 Exercise isn't enough. We need to believe we exercised. |  How do I change a bad first impression? |  What is the appeal of Dalgona Coffee |
 A strong "why" empowers us to do anything. Really? Surely staying alive is an important "why" for all of us? If so, why do we need to find all sorts of ways to convince people to take their medication? |  People would not eat a Patagonian Toothfish. Yet the Chilean Sea Bass is a dish enjoyed around the world. But erm..they are the same fish! |  Dopamine - almost always explained wrongly. |
 How to do something difficult - signing a Ulysses Contract |  This is disgusting! |  Can a hot drink make you think someone is warmer, and a cold drink make you think someone is colder? |
 How we learn to fear and how we unlearn our fears |
Major Themes
.png)
-
Changing Minds Why is it so difficult to change minds, and what're the best ways to do so?
-
Emotions How do emotions occur? Are emotions bad?
-
The Brain regulates every thought, action, emotion, sensation, and memory. But how does it work? Can we change it? In what ways?
-
Creativity What is creativity, and how can we be more creative?
-
Impressions Are we aware of when and how quickly we form impressions, and how it affects our decisions?
-
Trust Are we naturally trusting? What happens when trust is broken?
-
Motivation Motivation feels good. But to what extent is it useful? Also, did you know we have an internal motivation system?
And more.....
Know Your Brain
Understand how your brain works
Every thought, idea, memory, feeling (contrary to popular belief, your heart doesn't feel, your brain does), action, reaction, and behaviour triggers in your brain.
​
Understanding our brains is understanding ourselves. It's a no-brainer to be a know-brainer. Find out more about the broad workings and specific intricacies of our amazing brain
​
5 major influences of behaviour and thinking
Blog
bottom of page