Most of us have experienced the rush of a big scare - the racing heart, sweating palms
and fast breathing. But could these symptoms really --BOO!!!! Scare ya? It’s a full body
experience, and it can even feel dangerous at times, but could you really be scared to
death?
Science suggests that today’s most commons fears stem from the things that most frequently
killed our ancestors. Animal phobias like arachnophobia, natural environment phobias
like the fear of heights, situational phobias like claustrophobia and blood-injection-injury
phobias like the fear of needles are the four most common categories today. And these make
sense as most have been relatively consistent threats throughout our evolution. As a result,
the genes preparing us to instinctively avoid them became more common, while genes that
did not faded away. Chances are, if you have one of these fears, you may have inherited
it from your parents.
Of course, day-to-day learning also helps shape your personal fears. At the end of the
day, it’s not the actual threat, but instead your perception of the threat that controls
the amount of fear you will feel.
So could it kill you? The short answer is yes. Not to scare you...of course! The chances
of being scared to death depend greatly on how healthy your heart is. When you’re scared,
your Fight or Flight response is trigger and adrenaline is released, making the heart beat
quicker to pump more blood and oxygen to your muscles. As a result you become temporarily
stronger and faster. But something really scary can kick this into overdrive. Too much
and your heart simply can’t keep up, which could damage heart tissue and even stop it
from beating all together.
Hundreds of athletes have experienced a fatal rush of adrenaline as a result of simulated
threats during intense competition. And you’re no safer in the stands - studies found the
number of heart attacks during World Cup Soccer matches more than doubled in countries and
cities where the home team was eliminated.
So should you lock yourself away in a closet to avoid all these fears? The truth is, while
scientists don’t know exactly who is most vulnerable, we do know that the incidence
is extremely low for people with healthy functioning hearts. More food for thought is thought itself.
It turns out that training ourselves to think differently about fears can actually reduce
the amount of adrenaline they produce.
But that’s not always easy - and some people have some pretty crazy fears. In fact, our
friend Matthew Santoro just released a video on 10 Extremely Bizarre Phobias People Actually
Have, which you should definitely check out! Perhaps you have a fear on that list! Matt
makes really amazing fact videos that are sure to blow your mind! Click on the screen
to see that video, or you can use the link in the description.
And of course, if you haven’t ordered our book yet - what are you waiting for? We’ll
be doing a bunch of giveaways with tons of prizes to those who have preordered, so get
your copy now if you don’t want to miss out! Asapscience.com/book. And subscribe for
more weekly science videos!