I find language interesting. The word &quot;afraid&quot; suggests some conscious level understanding of the fear you&#x27;re feeling. A fear response doesn&#x27;t require you to be conscious of it.<p>When someone stands too close behind me, particularly if it&#x27;s unexpected or a stranger, while I&#x27;m not <i>afraid</i> (I am not concerned about being assaulted in any form), my body still tenses up. That&#x27;s a fear response.<p>Something comes quickly at you, seen in your peripheral vision, you react by flinching, perhaps some adrenaline. A fear response, it may cause an emotional response of fear, or it may not. But it creates the physiological response to it.