PHOBIAC Fear is not that scary
What is
Phobias
What’s your
Room101?
fear in 2018?
How fear has changed through the ages
The mechanics of
fear
Your brain’s fear centre
M
arie Curie once said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Like Curie, we believe that nothing should be feared, not even fear itself. The world today can seem scary. Although we are more connected, we seem to have distanced ourselves from each other and failed to understand our own feelings. Fear is a normal human emotion. It deserves to be dissected and understood more thoroughly. In this edition we examine the role of fear in 2018 and the evolution of fear through the ages. We dive into why we feel fear, investigate our phobias and we ask the question: “What scares Wales?” We hope that if fear can be understood, it can be
overcome.
Inside this issue
Wha t fear looks like in 2018 The evolution of fear through time
Mechanics of fear
Understanding and acknowledging our fears
Phobiac asks Cardiff Phobiac took to the streets of Cardiff to find out what scares Wales
Room 101
Understanding and managing our phobias
Modern Fears
What fear looks like in 2018 Perils of modern living or first world problems?
C
enturies ago your greatest fear might have been a plague or failed harvest, threats that could easily prove fatal. Since then the world has become a less dangerous place, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less scared.
Wales, followed by fears of heights and then snakes. The fear of insects, however, is no more common than the fear of sending a text to the wrong person, and 14% of residents admit to a fear of running out of phone battery.
In fact, modernity has brought with it a whole host of new fears, some of which are starting to catch up with more well-known phobias, according to a study undertaken in May by the British Heart Foundation.
These technology based fears might seem trivial, but according to Dr. Elena Touroni, a psychology clinic director, they could still have a real impact on dayto-day life.
For example, the study showed that over half of Welsh residents think living with clowns would be less frightening than living without wifi for a week. ‘Traditional’ fears are still the most widespread. Being scared of spiders, which affects 34% of people, is the most common fear in
A fifth of people aged 16-24 say they have lost friends or had a relationship end due to these kinds of modern day fears. It’s clear that when it comes to trying to understand and overcome fear, the new is just as important as the old.
Fear today, gone tomorrow:
Many fears are temporary. What once scared millions may no longer seem relevant in the present.
1980-2000 Satanic panic: Fears of
a satanist conspiracy saw everything from Pokemon to Harry Potter branded as the work of the Devil.
2000 Millennium bug: A
technological malfunction caused by the date change was expected to send us back to the Dark Ages.
2012 Apocalypse: The end of
the Mayan calendar was believed to prophesise the end of the world.
2016 Clown purge: Inspired
by the real phenomena of clown sightings, rumours spread of a mass clown attack that would take place on Halloween.
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Science of Fear
F
ear is an innate bodily reaction. Margee Kerr, a sociologist of fear, from Pennsylvania, talks about the impact it has on us. Fear varies from person to person, but the fight or flight reaction is universal. Our sympathetic nervous system prepares us for action, to run or to fight. Fear, in a nutshell, is a threat response. During the fight or flight response some bodily functions are put on hold so our bodies can focus on being strong and fast. An example of this is that the function of the salivary glands slows so the body can focus on speed. This is why you may get a dry mouth when you become scared. Margee explains the bodily functions we experience. “Our metabolism kicks into
high gear and starts to burn sugar while our heart starts beating faster to carry the resources to our muscles. Endorphins kick in, blocking our pain receptors, so even if we do get hurt, we’re not going to feel it, and a host of hormones and neurotransmitters circulate. This leads to feeling energized,” she said. Eyes Our pupils dilate, so we can see further in order to flee. Sweat Our bodies become sweaty so that we are slippery, hard to catch and as light as possible. Muscles Our bodies become tense and stimulated, ready for a fight. Fear: Friend or Foe? From fleeing predators to anxiety inducing social scenarios, the situations which provoke fear within
us have changed over time, and our fight or flight instinct has evolved along with this. In any circumstances which cause us to feel panicked, our fear instincts kick in to evaluate the potential risk and harm of the situation.
“We need the fear response to protect us.” These primitive fear instincts allow for immediate emotional evaluation of a scenario in a way which is more powerful than any logic or reasoning. Expert Opinion Consultant clinical psychologist Dr. Lucy Johnstone states that: “The fear response bypasses rational cognitive appraisal, and in emergencies the brain’s fear centres, the amygdala, activate directly.”
MECHANI OF Behind the scenes of fight or flight
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Science of Fear Debunking Fear Sensory Cortex In other words, fear is an innate instinct, which is constantly working in the background of our minds and moderating our behaviour accordingly, without any conscious effort on our part. So, while you may not realise it, fear is effectively looking out for Thalamus you in everything you do. As Lucy puts it: “There is no such thing as a good or bad emotion - we need the fear response to protect us.”
Hypothalamus Amygdala
Hippocampus
Your Brain’s Fear Centre Hormonology
What’s pumping through our veins when we feel scared? Endorphins reduce pain and boost pleasure, released in response to pain or stress, but also released during activities such as eating, exercise or sex.
Dopamine controls the brain’s pleasure and reward centres, allows us to identify and move towards the best possible outcome in given situations.
Adrenaline causes air passages to dilate and blood vessels to redirect blood towards major muscle groups, producing an increase in strength and performance as well as heightened awareness.
Serotonin a natural mood stabilizer, regulates anxiety and depression.
ICS F FEAR
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Fear voxpop “I have Megalophobia, I’m afraid of big things: cruise ships, buildings, blue whales. Anything that makes me feel tiny. It makes me have a panic attack.”
“Slugs, jellyfish... Anything that isn’t quite a solid.” Brian, 22, recruitment manager
Carrie, 38, deputy manager
“Immortality.” David Davich, 54, stonemason.
What is fear?
Phobiac asks Cardiff:
Fear gets people talking and while we all feel it, many still disagree on its meaning...
“Can’t breathe, like I’m underwater.” Jane Harrad, 28, hotel supervisor
“When you owe money. Owing money, not like to a friend, but in general, because you are a slave to it.” Georgina Bunch, 47, car sales
There’s a lot more fear going around today than before, like on the news. I feel like fear is an influence for people to cast judgements on others.” Amy, 21, student
“Fear is positive, fear keeps us on the alert. It’s all to do with adrenaline.” Mary, 65, retired biomedical scientist
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“Fear is never a positive thing for me, it’s always an obstacle.” Alex Embericos, 77, accountant
Phobias
Room 101
Phobias can be confusing and difficult to confront. Where do they come from, and how can we understand them?
W
hat is a phobia? The dictionary describes it as a type of anxiety disorder, defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. The most widely recognised phobias are of tangible objects. There are also situational phobias linked to social anxiety disorder. For example, people may fear public speaking or scrutiny. A phobia could originate from a traumatic experience. Being taken to extreme heights, for example, could trigger acrophobia, an irrational fear of heights. On the other hand, an existing phobia can often be tackled by facing your fear and being exposed to what scares you. This is also known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Local extreme sports entrepreneur, Keith Marlow, 32, says he has a phobia of the ocean and its sheer vastness. “Even though I try to spend time in it now it’s still unbearably powerful,” he said. Phobias do not have to be faced alone. It’s a good idea to speak to a therapist as the more you understand your phobia, the easier it becomes to live with.
Some of the stranger phobias Here are some of the more unusual phobias that people live with day to day:
uArithmophobia the fear of numbers u Venustraphobia the fear of beautiful women u Omphalophobia the fear of bellybuttons u Pogonophobia the fear of beards u Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia the fear of long words u Panphobia the fear of everything
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A fear shared is a fear halved Find our editor’s fears
Sharks Dentists
Motorways
Unknown Failure
Meet the team
Anya
Naomi
Mairi
Tamzin
Matt