Fear...

Fear. What is Fear?

I think Fear is an evolutionary feeling we have towards things that are dangerous, or that we perceive as dangerous.

What I find really interesting about Fear is that when we evolved our prefrontal cortex we evolved the ability to plan things out in our minds. With that ability comes the ability to Fear something that has not happened yet, or may not happen. This reticence towards certain actions based on Fear is something that must be distinctly human because there must be something about the outcome of that action that is not agreeable.

For example. Talking to a room full of people is widely regarded as one of the most difficult things one can do as a human. It is one of the biggest fears people mention. What could go wrong? Well, for starters you may forget to put on pants that day. Wouldn't that be embarrassing? What if you forgot your whole speech and just stood up on stage for ten minutes in silence? That is a possibility, isn't it?

Now, those things are not likely to happen, but in our minds we are able to envision them.

Why Do We Have Fear?

This Fear we have brought with us up the evolutionary chain only serves its intended purpose some of the time. The rest of the time, it is mostly a hindrance.

By overcoming Fear, or the perceived threat of some sort of inconvenient discomfort, we may be able to accomplish goals better and faster.