What is Fear?
[[File:Scared Child at Nighttime.jpg|thumb|A girl showing signs of fear and [[anxiety]] in an uncertain environment]] '''Fear''' is a feeling or an [[emotion]]. When a person has fear, they are '''afraid''' or '''scared'''. A person who fears something does not want it to happen. The fear response comes from sensing [[danger]]. It leads to the [[fight-or-flight response]]. In extreme cases of fear (horror and terror) there may be a freeze response or paralysis. In humans and animals, fear is adjusted by [[cognition]] and [[learning]]. Thus fear is rational or appropriate, or it is irrational or inappropriate. An irrational fear is called a [[phobia]]. Fear is the body's way of [[protect]]ing itself from doing things that may be [[wikt:danger|dangerous]]. For example, if one has a fear of jumping off a [[cliff]], he/she will not do it. This saves one from death. In this case, fear is a good thing but in others, it can be bad. An example of fear being bad is if it stops one from doing something important, like going to see a doctor. Methods of controlling phobias include facing the fear over and over so the effect of the phobia becomes less until it stops being a phobia. There is only a small set of basic or [[innate]] emotions and fear is one of them.<ref>Öhman A. 2000. Fear and anxiety: Evolutionary, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. In M. Lewis & J.M. Haviland-Jones (eds) ''Handbook of emotions''. pp. 573–593. New York: The Guilford Press.</ref> The fear response helps survival by triggering appropriate behavioral responses. It has been preserved throughout [[evolution]].<ref name=Olsson>{{Cite journal | last1 = Olsson | first1 = A. | last2 = Phelps | first2 = E. A. | doi = 10.1038/nn1968 | title = Social learning of fear | journal = Nature Neuroscience | volume = 10 | issue = 9 | pages = 1095–1102 | year = 2007 | pmid = 17726475| pmc = | s2cid = 11976458 }}</ref> == References == {{reflist}} == Related pages == *[[Anxiety]] {{stub}} [[Category:Basic English 850 words]] [[Category:Emotions]]