Most people are familiar with the classic fight-or-flight stress response, in which the body mobilizes all its strength to eliminate a threat. For example, if you saw a snake in dense forest thickets, you have only two options to escape: to join a reptile in a melee match or immediately leave the place of an unexpected meeting. In order to make the right decision, you have a split second at your disposal.
A primitive reaction aimed at the survival of the species
The fight-or-flight response is primitive in nature, but it has a powerful resource for survival. As soon as the brain recognizes a real threat, adrenaline is released in the body, which leads to an increase in heart rate and pumping of blood to the muscles. All of these physical changes enable a person who faces danger to mobilize their attention and other internal resources.
Act on a whim
Fear of predators, snakes and other potentially dangerous creatures in humans is inherent at the genetic level. But when you realize that you almost stepped on the slippery body of a viper, you immediately stop paying attention to details that are not so important for survival. You will not remember the exact location, color and size of the snake. At this point, you will act on a whim, without a clear plan of salvation.
Promotional video:
Depending on the type of person
It is believed that fear manifests itself in extroverts and introverts in different ways. The former are more motivated to take risks, so they can take a step towards danger and try to win the fight. These people can easily join a line of volunteers who are asked to taste the spider soup in exchange for a moment of fame or a reward. The extrovert before the test will think the following: “Will this taste be as nasty as I imagine it to be? At least I can post a photo and show my courage to my many friends on Instagram."
Introverts tend to be more withdrawn or calm. They always think first, weigh the risks, and then act. In a situation with the proposed spider soup, these people will immediately see the downsides: “This test cannot be safe. If I do not get poisoned, I will vomit in front of the audience, and I will be disgraced. This is why, when faced with danger in the real world, introverts are more likely to choose an escape response. They will be sure that the forces are not equal, so it is not worth trying.
A person's response to a potential hazard can vary as a result of acquired skills or occupation. It is inherent in persons who, when faced with a threat, do not fall into an unconscious state, but process information using logical thinking. For example, a clever hunter will not run away from a snake, even if he is an introvert. First, he will assess the situation and understand that he has every chance to cope with the reptile.
There is an alternative reaction to danger
You will be surprised, but there is a third possible human response to a threat, which is aimed at suppressing vital functions. In doing so, your body begins to freeze in response to processing the emotion of surprise. The snake surprise allows you to stop and collect your thoughts. At this point, you decide which is more expedient in this situation: fight or flight? To a greater extent, this is inherent in people who do not obey instincts, but obey consciousness. They can easily remember where the snake was and what it looked like. At the same time, the expression of surprise on the face is also accompanied by physical manifestations.
First, the pupils dilate, which makes it possible to improve peripheral vision and better process environmental details. Secondly, the person opens his mouth and begins to swallow air convulsively. This is necessary in order to prepare the throat for screaming. Surprise with the subsequent assessment of the situation and decision-making introduces people into a kind of stupor, since it takes time and mobilization of internal resources. But before you decide what exactly happened on the way: a real threat, a joke or a harmless incident, another metamorphosis occurs with your body. As in nature in animals fleeing predators, it begins to pretend to be dead: the body temperature drops, and the limbs freeze.
Paralyzing freeze
You are often accused of not wanting to interfere with an unexpected event (such as an attack) and prefer to stand as if numb. This is due to the fact that the mind chooses the third option for responding to the danger - it prefers to completely immobilize the body in order to wait out the threat. You know that you cannot escape the scene, but you are also confident that you cannot fight back the invader. And now, having made a decision, you give your body to the mercy of unconscious mechanisms.
It allows you to forget about the trauma
This happened to our ancestors, who met saber-toothed tigers on their way. They could not escape, could not cope with the predator with their bare hands, but they could deliberately immobilize the body in order to remain unnoticed and wait out the threat. Scientists speculate that freezing may have psychological benefits and makes it possible to forget about trauma.
Inga Kaisina