What's the origin of fear?

[Alan]

I was talking about this with some friends just now.
Maybe the answer is simple and it's just completely going over our heads at the moment. Our conversation only ended with two points: the point of how we fear the unknown and the point of how we fear the dangerous.
But those two things are only scenarios in which fear appears. At most they're the two conditions in which fear emerges, but they're not the sources of fear. I tried thinking of it from an evolutionary point of view, but that only says why fear is useful, not why it emerges.
I don't know, maybe I've been reading too much plato, but what do you think?

[Solumina]

I have to leave fairly soon for work so I wont go much further than the very basic but what is known about fear is that it is based on our fight or flight response, how that physical response is connected to the emotional response of fear is not very clear. There is some interesting research about fear being learned but I'll get into that wen I have more time.

[Still Jack]

I don't know is the short answer. The long answer is I think in some people fear is eclipsed by their ego.

[ape descendant]

Are you talking about the origins of fear in the human psyche in general or are we talking about what causes fear in the individual? Is this more philisophical or are we examining the physical?

[JCC]

We place our safety or well-being in high regard and are therefore adversely affected when we feel it's threatened.

[ape descendant]

From what I understand, feelings of fear and aggression are handled by a part of the limbic system in the brain called the amygdala. I wasn't really able to find much that I understood well enough to relay, about how it works on a physical level.

The limbic system, which also includes the hippocampus and the hypothalamus, deal with emotions, learning, motivation and memory formation. All of these things seem to be involved with learning fear.

[Anarasha]

I believe like stated before that fear is a survival instinct.
It is supposed to make us very aware that we feel threatened, and it achieves this extremely well.
I believe that we fear the unknown because it is a potential danger.
I don't know about you guys, but I myself have often been met with that vague feeling of fear at a person whose face or hands are concealed, but once you either get to know the person or the concealed parts are revealed, the fear slowly dissipates.
I believe fear originates in the instinct to survive.
But then again, I know I can squish a spider with no effort, and I still shit guano when I see one of those.
Heck, I really don't know.

I don't know if you wanted that or an actual technical explanation as to why we feel fear.

[HumanePain]

There are hardwired paths in our brain that do not necessarily make us afraid, but rather make us more comfortable and so the delta drives us towards the more desirable, comfortable status. For example: let us say I am alone in my apartment at night, and the surrounding apartments are empty. It might be actually pleasant one night, but night after night, if no tenants move in, and I remain isolated, I may choose to go to the shopping mall, just to be with other people. It feels safe to know that I am in a place where other people are also, if it is safe for them (perhaps I even here laughter) then instinctively it feels safer for me too. Not because I had anything to fear in the isolated apartment. Well except perhaps slipping slowly into madness alone.

So some part of the instinct for self preservation may drive us to stay in the vicinity of other people. This also of course makes it easier to find mates.

We are not driven to fear the opposite, we are merely driven away from the opposite.

That is one instinctive scenario.

Now, the conscious scenario: Anarasha is right, we do learn some fears. But fearing the unknown is not instinctive. I for one, love flying to new cities, new places, and meeting new people. It is exciting, thrilling. Many people do not like it. So there is a difference; if there were no difference and fear of the unknown was universal, it could be categorized as instinctive because it is universal, but it is not. Man is driven into the unknown, whether it is in a jungle, bathysphere, space shuttle or mountain top.

But I have learned to fear carelessness, a minute's neglect of my grandson out in the street could be fatal, I have fortunately learned from the mistakes of others, not myself (thank God!) and so have learned fear. Taught myself fear actually. I have taught myself perhaps too many fears as time goes on, an accumulation of fears that has burdened me and twisted my sanity. Many fearful scenarios for my children and grand children, for my wife and friends. Fear for my nation, for the world, and even stupid fears that although I know they are stupid, usher in nervous and obsessive and controlling behavior to avoid them, like excessive bathing and clothing changes from fear of smelling like a homeless person (dried urine).

[Despanan]

The Origin of fear?

Yeah, you've been reading too much Plato. It's not complicated: Fear is an extremely useful trait because it keeps us alive. Organisms which had the ability to feel fear survived as a direct result of it and reproduced. Organisms which didn't have it died.

That's about it.

[Mir]

Ron Jeremy`s dick.

[Ben Lahnger]

Yep, hedgehog dick ... that's scary, alright!

[Saya]

Originally Posted by JCC

We place our safety or well-being in high regard and are therefore adversely affected when we feel it's threatened.

Bingo.

It has its function in biology and psychology, but like everything else we create it ourselves.

[gothicusmaximus]

I don't think blaming Plato for this is very fair.

[Alan]

Biological explanations only explain where fear arises and why it's useful, but it does not explain at all why fear is the sentiment to the flight instinct. And there's examples of fear that have nothing to do with the flight instinct. The existence of fear can't be reduced in this manner. So yeah, it's pretty much a platonic question.

[JCC]

Originally Posted by Alan

Biological explanations only explain where fear arises and why it's useful, but it does not explain at all why fear is the sentiment to the flight instinct.

You asked what the origin of fear is, which has been answered. I'm not sure what else it is you want.

[Despanan]

He's trying to show us all how smart he is by asking a simple question, which is easily answerable and then name-dropping a Greek philosopher in an attempt to make it seem more complicated than it actually is.

Or he's high:

"Like DUDE did you ever, ya know, wonder where fear came from? Like what's the origin?"

"Whoa dude...you've like, been reading too much plato...or something"

"Pass the Cheetos"

[ape descendant]

Yeah, if you really cared, you'd google it. *wink* So many deep questions have been answered. And we can know these answers, if we put forth a sliver of effort. We too, can stand on the shoulders of giants.

[Despanan]

The internet is platonic

[ape descendant]

The internet can see into your mind.... the internet can see into your SOUL!!!

[Catch]

Odd a thread about fear was started. I was thinking about fear the other day and plan on blogging about it with a fear meditation. I believe Post Traumatic Stress starts the fear cycle. We are essentially innocent until something unexpected happens. The severity of the incident cuases fear, so both assumptions are correct. Whether it is unexpectedly getting into a biking accident or finding out someone really doesn't like you the fear cycle begins. Especially in the later, people spread fear to each other.

[Anarasha]

Originally Posted by ape descendant

Yeah, if you really cared, you'd google it. *wink* So many deep questions have been answered. And we can know these answers, if we put forth a sliver of effort. We too, can stand on the shoulders of giants.

Fact is that I do not think he wanted the technical origin of fear, I believe it was an attempt to discuss some philosophy.
As usual, that is wasted on here though.

[HumanePain]

Nature uses the stick and carrot: if we are kissed by someone we love (or just think is hot) endorphins and adrenaline flood our pleasure centers. If we taste delicious food etc. self preservation rewards us, shouts "Yeah! Stay here!" and we remember it, forever sometimes. Remember your first kiss? Nature wants you to remember that potential mate.

Might as well ask "What is the origin of pleasure?" It's all in the mind.

[Anarasha]

All fear eventually leads to Barbas.

[JCC]

Originally Posted by Anarasha

Fact is that I do not think he wanted the technical origin of fear, I believe it was an attempt to discuss some philosophy.
As usual, that is wasted on here though.

What's philosophical about it? It is merely the emotion that arises when something we value is threatened, there's no further probing to be done unless you want to get into discussing whether Prometheus brought fear down in a jar as a practice run before he got fire.

[Lochnar]

The source of fear is self preservation. Fear leads to anger, hate, greed and a slew of other nasty human states.

If you really want to bring Plato into it then consider self preservation to be a virtue. To much (lets call it angst) or to little (lets call it bravado) of this virtue is a vice according to Plato. A person ruled by angst does not live much of a life. One ruled by bravado may not life a long life.

No, I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said so far...I just fear being left out when someone talks about Plato 8-P