We have all felt fear at some point, but not all of us know exactly wheatears. It is a reaction of our body to what we consider a danger or a threat, a threat that can be real or imagined. Because fear goes free and is not always rational. We tell you some curiosities about fear so that you understand what is happening to you.
Fear: know all its secrets
Fear is a basic emotion and, we could say, an instinct. We know that fear protects us from dangerous situations, but in some cases this emotion stops fulfilling that protective function and becomes the danger itself. It happens when we are paralyzed by what we believe to be dangerous but in reality it is not. Can fear be controlled? It is possible, and that is why we investigate the data that can help us understand why we are afraid.
1. Fear has a positive function
Did you know that fear has a protective function? If we survive it is thanks to fear, to that feeling that makes us move away when we sense a threat. And not only in the physical aspect, has it also protected us in the emotional field. When we walk away from people who are toxic or potentially dangerous to our self-esteem or when we run out of situations for which we are not prepared.
2. Fear generates physical changes
When we are afraid, a series of changes occur in our body that originate in the limbic system and that result in an increase in blood pressure, dilation of the pupil, tachycardia, changes in muscle tension and in some cases, it can physically paralyze because some body functions stop.
3. Fear the perception of reality
A change in the perception of reality is also observed in those cases in which fear exceeds the limits of reason. If you are afraid of a spider, it is because your mind processes it as a threat and it is most likely that you see it as larger than it really is.
4. the most common fears
There are fears that, although they are not universal, are frequently found in almost all cultures. The fear of death is one of them, as well as the fear of loneliness or abandonment. And in a matter of phobias, the fear of spiders and the fear of flying are the most common.
5. The strangest fears
But there are also uncommon fears that are as paralyzing for those who suffer them as the most dangerous threat. These are those phobias, sometimes with unpronounceable names, such as xanthophobia, which is the fear of the color yellow and borders on superstition, ombrophobia, which is the fear of rain, or parascevedecatriaphobia, which is the fear of Friday the 13th.
6. Fear due to lack of control
The general fear of the unknown that produces the most surprising reactions in us has been commented many times. Along the same lines is the theory that some fears originate from the lack of control of a situation. A situation that is beyond our control, such as when you get on a plane and put yourself in the hands of the pilot and the good work of the airline’s mechanics, is a perfect opportunity to realize that you can’t do anything in front of the fear.
7. The fear of children
What are children afraid of? The most common fears in childhood are spiders and the dark, which occur almost instinctively. Like that fear of abandonment. Other children’s fears, such as the fear of having a monster under the bed, do not originate from instinct, but from the terrible stories we tell them before going to sleep.
8. People who are never afraid
Just as there are people who never fall in love, there are also people who are never afraid. Not lucky, because they have no way to detect a threat and are exposed to more dangers. But it is true that on many occasions this dysfunction can be considered an advantage.
9. The fear of clowns has its logic
If you have recently seen the movie ‘It’ it is normal to be terrified by the sight of a clown, but it is one of the most common, most logical and least understood phobias. The clown wears a mask or makeup with which he hides his identity from him, so it is logical to have certain suspicions about his intentions from him. To this we add that his movements are very energetic and tremendously invasive, which generates an almost inevitable state of alert.
10. The cure for fear
When you realize that your fear is excessive and, in many cases, irrational, you ask yourself how to overcome that fear. Self-help manuals bombard us with ideas like fear is what prevents you from being happy, but how do you cure fear? Do not try to do it at home; the best cure is psychological therapy.