What are you really afraid of? Joey, my youngest, is dressing up as Indiana Jones this year for Halloween. Does that mean that Joey will become terrified of snakes on Friday? I just asked him what he is afraid of and he told me casually, "nothing." Dominic, on the other hand, is afraid of dying. When I was their age, I was afraid of taking out the garbage at night. My parents lived in a wooded area and I was afraid of the long shadows and creepy noises at night when I had to take out the garbage. Currently, I am afraid of the Ebola virus. Will it spread? Will it mutate? Are my kids and students safe?
What really scares us? What causes fear? Has fear changed over the past century? Will fear change in the future? Read one of the two articles about fear below. First state which article that you read and write a response to that article. One article is from Scientific America and is about the science behind fear. The other article is from the USA Weekend magazine. Write a scholarly paragraph about fear. You can pick any aspect of fear as long as you include what you are afraid of and why.
http://www.usatoday.com/experience/weekend/lifestyle/what-really-scares-us/17604159/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/factoring-fear-what-scares/
I am really afraid of a few basic things like heights, clowns and getting ebola. Some of the things that really scare people today are terrorism and viruses like ebola because we hear all of the stories about how more terrorist attacks are happening and how ebola is spreading to more people causing people to think it is more likely to happen to them. I think what causes fear in people is the things they don’t know or aren’t used to. For example, someone who has lived in the city their whole life might be scared of some animals because there aren’t many animals in the city, causing them to fear the thought of something they’re not used to. Fear has changed in many ways over the past century. In the 1940’s most people feared the government would take over, or feared communism would spread throughout Asia. Today, most people fear terrorism, ebola and other viruses. I think as the world changes in ways that people aren’t used to and many things developing, people will start having new fears.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jaylynn Kutz-
DeleteI agree with you, people tend to be afraid of things that they do not understand, and as our technology develops more and more, there will be more unknowns for people to fear. I also agree that clowns are a bit creepy, right up there with mimes.
In response to Jaclyn Kutz-
DeleteI thought it was interesting also how people fear what they aren't accustom to. Also, I do think clowns and the idea of ebola spreading kind of get to me but I know without fear we just would let ebola spread because we wouldn't fear it.
I also agree with you, many people are afraid of things that they don’t know much about which causes them to be afraid. Currently, Ebola is something many are afraid of, including me. This disease is something not many know about and is spreading fast and can come into our country and infect many.
DeleteThe article I read was, "What Really Scares Us", USA Weekend.
Delete"What Really Scares Us", USA Weekend
ReplyDeleteI thought this article was very interesting. It pointed out the changes that fear has gone through as times have changed. Humans were more afraid of different things in different times. It also talked about how to confront your fears, and how horror movies are a way for some people to adjust to being afraid of certain things. For me, the most interesting part of the article was at the bottom, where it listed different fears in different time periods. The fears correlated closely with the big issues of that time, and I thought that was interesting. For me, terrorism isn't a huge fear, partly because I was never directly (or even indirectly, for that matter) affected by terrorism. I have never known anyone that was affected. It's always been more of a curiosity than a fear. What I am afraid of though, is death. Again, I haven't known many people who've died, but I'm afraid of how I will feel when someone close to me dies. I can't imagine how I'd go on without them, and how different things will be without them. In spite of our fears, we've got to use every moment we can, and conquer the things that terrify us as best as possible.
In reply to Madeline, I can see why terrorism isn’t such a huge fear for you, especially since we live in such a nice town like Crystal Lake. However, I am slightly alerted when it comes to the fear of terrorism, since it can literally happen anywhere. Also, I hate the fear of death, particularly of other people, since just the thought of losing a loved one is unbearable. Some fears I guess we can’t conquer, but only mentally prepare ourselves for the worst.
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DeleteI agree, it’s easy not to have a fear of something because you’ve haven’t experienced or been influenced by it (such as terrorism). However, I think it is just as easy to fear it even more if you have because you know how it feels, how hard it was to live with, and how it resulted.
ReplyDeleteThe article I read was “Factoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why?” from USA Weekend magazine. According to the article, fear is a powerful emotion cause by immediate stimuli. This makes us feel nervous, or tense around certain things our brains process as a threat or scary. In other test that were conducted stimuli were “active” when a frightened face was viewed compared to a neutral face. This goes along with other scientist who think scary things vary based on our surroundings or personal experiences. For example, if someone had a bad experience with a dog, their brain then tells them to be afraid of what others could view as cute. Emotions are so unique in each person and we all have different things that we are afraid of. Since fear is unpredictable and we all have our own ways of reacting, scientist haven’t been able to figure out exactly how fear works.
Overall, this article was very interesting because I have never given any thought to why something is “scary” or why some people jump at the slightest noise while others seem fearless. I wonder what research will be conducted in the future to help scientist find out more about fear?
I think people do have a fear of what they don't understand too. Humans like to be in control so when they don't know how something is going to turn out it is scary. This does vary from person to person like the articles said, sometimes fear is different because we all have unique ways of looking at the world based on our own experiences.
ReplyDeleteI agree! If people stopped worrying about things that they think will happen, even if they know they are unrealistic, they wouldn't have as many fears. We need to stop worrying about things we cannot understand, and worry about things that are actually a threat to us.
Delete"What Really Scares Us", USA Weekend
ReplyDeleteNot everyone is afraid of the same of the same things, some of us are afraid of clowns or mimes or the dark, but why are we really afraid of these things? The article “What Really Scares Us” by Nancy MIlls explains that people are afraid of things that they do not understand or have had bad a experience with, and that fear is a natural reaction to danger, to protect us. It is a good thing that fear does exist because it helped humans stay alive through prehistoric times. People can get anxiety, even when there is no threat to them, and they can make things seem worse than they actually are. I am afraid of heights, and the article says that confronting your fears will make them easier to face, but when I went to the Willis Tower (was the Sears Tower) and went I out onto the glass observation windows, it certainly did not help at all. Confronting fear may help others more than it did for me. What people are afraid of changes with their environment and the times they live in. For example, in the 1940’s people were afraid of communism, and in the 1960’s many feared the government. In the future people may fear new technology, like robots. Also, people who live in places where there are a lot of wild animals like bears or lions may fear them more than people living in a city. In conclusion, sometimes our fears may seem silly to others but everyone understands what it is like to be afraid.
I agree that while fear appears in different forms to each individual, it is of the same provocation and reaction to everyone, creating a common bond. That's why in times of a great threat where many people fear it together, the threat doesn't have to be faced alone and true character is shown. When 9/11 occurred, everyone was terrified, but in the time of need everyone worked together against a common fear. In a way, fear plays a great part in human relations and progress over time.
DeleteIn response to nick, fear does change based in are environment, it's as if we evolve to coup, fight, survive not just on the physical, but emotional level, and it makes you think, are we evolving on more fronts then one?
DeleteI read the article “What Really Scares Us” USA Weekend. This article talked about fears that people had from the 1940’s till now. The article also mentioned why people are afraid of things and how to deal with fear. What I thought was interesting the most about this article was how researchers say if you fortify yourself with knowledge about your fear it is not as scary any more. I can see how this works for some fears, but for other fears like heights I don't think this would help. Learning about heights would not help at all for a person it would only make it worse. Then like other fears like spiders or snakes research can make a big difference because most people are afraid of them for how they look and how they feel, and research could cure that fear once and for all. I am not really afraid of anything dieing, spiders, heights none of these things bother me. Because worrying about things and being afraid of them is not going to change anything. We are still going to die, encounter spiders, and be in high places and worrying about it only makes it worse, worrying does not make it better or solve your fear so why do it? Why put yourself through that pain?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zach. I feel like a lot of times people are filled with so much worry that they are blinded from a possible solution to the problem. Worrying truly doesn't solve any of our problems and can actually make them worse. If you are constantly worrying about your fear than it will overtake your ability to think about anything else in your life.
DeleteI disagree with Zach. Finding out more about snakes might make it seem like it’s so easy to just let go of that fear, but in all honesty, it might not. I still feel like all our views of fear are wrongly rational. Fear isn’t rational. Anything called a “phobia” is definitely not rational, so to “fix” someone’s fears, I don’t think you can be rational. I think you have to be just as irrational as them.
DeleteAs I spend many of time on the media, the fears I’ve grown are more internally than externally. For example, I am mostly concerned of rejection, failure, or intimidation now than when I was younger. I believe the origins of our fear comes from public opinion or pop culture. For example, each time era described showed an important event in the specified decade. Things that really scare us are probably social, or emotional fear from past experiences or even, again, the media. Thinking about it, with the advancement of technology and diseases. The intensity of our fear might increase again with big robots, or a pandemic infection!
ReplyDeleteI agree that as time passes I too believe that with more inventions and big changes comes not only more fear, but more fear for different scenarios.
DeleteIn response to Justin, I have to say that I agree with you. As social media becomes bigger then that means the chances of cyber-bullying are higher because of all of the different social media websites and having easier access to it. I do also believe that some of the origins of our fear comes from the thought of what other people think of you which makes us fear things like rejection, failure and acceptance. In the future, I hope cyber-bullying and the fear of what other people think of you are no longer feared and that people will be more accepting.
DeleteGood point, as long as life continues to progress, and moves forward and things change, then people will face their old fears, and get new ones bases on the technology and state of humanity. To me it all comes down to 4 things that determine the outcome of humanity; Terrorism, Natural Disasters, Disease, and Technology.
DeleteIn response to Justin, I had not thought of those fears that are actually more emotional because because most fears are mostly textural and world known, but know one really pays attention to the fears that scare us from the inside-out.
DeleteI agree that the media can do more harm than good for us and our fear. while they may be trying to educate us, they may be spreading rumors and just fueling the fire that is our fear.
DeleteI read the article "What Really Scares Us?" This was an interesting article about people’s fears and why they are afraid of them. Personally I am afraid of being buried alive, viruses, bad grades, and clowns. From this article I can say that what really scares us is things we can't control, don’t understand or had a bad experience with. One way to make things less scary is to educate yourself on them. For example if you're scared of the Ebola virus you could research it to learn if it is a real threat or not. Another way to make something less scary is to face your fears for example someone who is afraid of heights could look over a tall observation deck. In some cases fear is a good thing because it tells us to react to threats, if we weren't afraid of being burned alive fire extinguishers wouldn't exist. A part of the article I found interesting was what people were afraid of back then compared to now. Common fears definitely change over time based on what big problems were going on. For example in the fifties people were afraid of getting polio but today polio is no longer a problem so people have no reason to be afraid of the disease. Today I think people are afraid of Ebola, global warming and terrorism.
ReplyDeleteWhat Really Scares Us? and Factoring Fear
ReplyDeleteI read both articles and thought their approach to fear was equally interesting. One article took the more scientific route explaining how there is stimuli in your brain that reacts and triggers fear when you are faced with something that caused a bad experience in the past. The special part in your brain that helps you decide how to act in a scary situation is called, amygdala. This almond-sized body part reacts greatly to facial expressions, and during tests excess blood flows to this part of the brain when you are scared. The other article talked about how over the years people’s fears have changed due to societal and political issues. Many times people fear things they don’t understand or have no control over, and when faced with wars, terrorism, disease, and political instability it’s easy to fall into fear. The thing about fear though, is once you have a better understanding of what’s truly going on around you, usually the situation doesn’t feel as scary. For me personally I fall into the similar category. Although clowns give me the creeps, my biggest fear is change. I know it sounds kind of up in the air, but when you think about it change is inevitable. And for me it’s really just the fact that there’s somethings that you really have no control over and you just have to trust that things will work out. Most of the time I have a lot of faith, but sometimes when I’m going somewhere completely new without anybody else at my side, I can become very anxious.
In reply to Maria M. I agree that people fear what they don't understand. Just like we fear Ebola, people in the 1400's were afraid of the Plague. Fears in our society will only be more understood, and less of a fear in our future. With all of the new technology and ways of desensitization, our fears will be lessened.
DeleteI read the article "What Really Scares Us" USA Weekend. I could relate to the guy who said he faced his fears to make them go away. I used to be afraid of heights but then when rock climbing and hiking in YellowStone, since then, heights haven"t bothered me at all. My only fear now is is losing part or all of my family and having to support myself and them. I guess that scares me because I've never had to be on my own without them and if I had to support them, I'd have to drop out of school to get a job.
ReplyDeleteThe article I read was “Factoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why?” Fear is the response to the immediate stimuli. Fear programs your brain to respond with nervousness, sweaty hands palms, and the empty feeling in your gut. People respond to fear in the same ways, but they have different things that they are afraid of. In the article it talked about what we fear. Sometimes our fears are reflected on who we are around and how they influence our behavior towards things. Emotions are so different in everyone and that’s why scientists have a hard time figuring out the physiological measure of fear or any emotion. In conclusion this article was very interesting because I didn’t know why people were afraid of things, I thought it came naturally. One thing that I'm really afraid of is bugs. Especially spiders.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to Jaylynn-
ReplyDeleteI'm also afraid of getting ebola! It spreads so rapidly that we don't know if it's going to come to our city. What really scares me is getting it. Or one of my family members getting it.
In reply to Justin-
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the correlation between time period, major events and fears. I thought it was really interesting how closely connected all those things were. It makes it easy to predict what some major fears might be in the future, like technology and disease, like you said.
I wouldn't say I'm afraid of much. I'm more afraid of things that could make me die like for example, I'm afraid of being kidnapped (and the things that come with being kidnapped). That's actually my biggest fear. It’s partially because of I have no idea how the experience would affect me and also because of society today. Most people jump right ahead and blame the victim and ask “What was she wearing?” and other stupid things like “She was asking for it” but no one ever asks why the actual kidnapper kidnapped someone! I read the usa weekend article "What Scares Us The Most" and it was really interesting. It makes a lot of sense as to why fear changes over time. I feel like fears develop based off of issues we don't have solutions to. Like, there's no solution to drowning (besides swimming) so some people are afraid of that. I feel like we also might digress and go through cycles of fear. In my article it talked about how people in the 60's feared the government and conspiracies and there’s a lot of that going on now. Who knows who far we will advance in the future but I’m sure the fears then will lead back to roughly the same source as it’s always been; fear in the future will have the same development based off of things we don’t understand and have no quick fix to.
ReplyDeleteI also am afraid of kidnapping because of the uncertainty of it all and not knowing what is going to happen. I also agree with you about how some fears will never go away.
DeleteIn response to Kendall Lownds~
ReplyDeleteIs that what our article was about? That's so cool and makes so much sense. People's fears also have to do with emotions. Someone could've been through something very traumatizing and the littlest thing like a sound could trigger that experience and remind them of that time and scare them.
I found the USA Weekend magazine article very interesting. I’m afraid of failing a class or a messing up in a sport, and especially of getting ebola. I’m positive there are more fears that I just haven’t realized yet. Fear or what really scares us is what we are unaware of and we are also scared of change. Over the years people have always feared what is to come and what we don’t know. That aspect of fear hasn’t changed but Fear has changed in a way that with new advances in technology come more things to be afraid of. And with the newest in technology, come new things to fear, an example is more sophisticated terrorism like cyber terrorism. Some fears don’t change over time and people still fear basic things like diseases and wars. All in all I didn't realize how fear worked, I just knew that we were scared of certain things.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to Josie-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about being able to research our fears to get over them or facing them like heights. Also you said fear is a good thing which I also agree with that. If we didn't have fear then we wouldn't know when to run or back out of/avoid a situation.
Scientific America
ReplyDeleteFactoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why
This article was true in many ways. What they said about your fears coming from things you experience is very true. Something that one person experiences is not necessarily the same thing the other experiences. Two people may be afraid of spider’s but they both could’ve experienced a spider scare in a different way. Fear is also categorized as rational and irrational. After watching a movie about a serial killer, you’re more prone to be alert. This to most people is irrational. Some things in our world today are very scary. The fact that you could get Ebola is horrifying to think about. Or that jobs in America are being taken by robots instead of people who really need the money. I am mostly afraid of Spiders, crowded places and dying. I am a super anxious person, so with a simple thought of fear I can easily over think and get nervous over nothing. Over time fear has changed, but in our world today our fears are very outrageous in the way we see them. I think in the future our fears will lessen as we learn more about the scary things in life.
In the article “What really scares us?” it talks about without fear we wouldn't be alive today. Furthermore, the article also states that fear and being scared aren’t the same thing. For example, someone might think spiders are scary but they don’t actually fear them. Personally, I fear being killed in my sleep because I would go asleep that night never to wake up again. Fear is what we dread so throughout the years peoples fear has changed because they dread new things that were discovered or invented. For instance, people in the 1960’s feared the conspiracy in the government whereas now we fear terrorism or the spread of a virus. All in all, I learned without fear we wouldn’t be alive today so we shouldn’t be afraid of fear we should be welcoming it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Nikhil because I'm afraid of falling asleep as well, but it only matters if you try to confront your fear so that you're not scared the rest of your life. Not just that, but I agree that fear is a factor in today which we are alive and keeps us alert.
DeleteI found that very interesting Nikhil, that fear changes over time like you said. The fact that people evolve and that their mind set changes i find very interesting. I think that what is happening in the world at the time affects peoples minds greatly, also affecting peoples fears, for example now people fear terrorism because of 9/11 and people fear ebola a ton because of the media and the government.
DeleteAfter reading the article, What really scare us? By: Nancy Mills it stated, “ At the same time, our modern world is generally described as becoming increasingly frightening, with terrorism, disasters and deadly diseases regularly in the news.” While on the other hand, “ Millions of people may watch zombies on TV and in movies, but that's manufactured fear.” These are two different examples of fears one may have. After reading this article I agree with David Borgenicht who said “what scares people may be based of the things they don't know.” What can cause fear for one to have could be from experiences, or what’s currently happening in the world. Including disease going around currently, for example Ebola and what happened on 9/11, ever since then many have been afraid of terrorism occurring throughout our country. Fear one may have has definitely changed over the past century and will in the future for many reasons. According to the article in the 1990s “there was no outside enemy to fear so people began to fear each other.” While, in the 2000s it stated our fear was "The fear of terrorism, Ebola and viruses," Borgenicht says, "but we're more likely to slip in the bathtub or eat too many french fries than die of the things most of us fear." Then the article also stated that a fear we may have for the future would be, "With technology and the convergence of the real world and the digital world, there are still plenty of new things to fear," stated by Borgenicht. I feel these three examples of fear from the past and for the future are all different and shows that fear will change throughout time from the change of what’s occurring during that century or year. Overall, a way to get over our fears is to face what we are afraid of head on. In order to do so, you must be willing to accept a certain amount of fear in order to beat this fear you have once you do that you will most likely be able to get over your fear.
ReplyDelete“What Really Scares Us”, USA Weekend
ReplyDeleteI thought that this article was quite enthralling. It indicated that as times change, so do fears. For instance, in prehistoric times, human beings were more concerned with finding shelter from dangerous creatures rather than our common fears of terrorism and Ebola today. Also, the article listed some ways for people to confront their fears; one was by researching what they’re afraid of to see if their fear is actually dangerous. Surprisingly, another way was by watching horror movies containing one’s fear, because people can confront their fear without physically having to do so. I was also interested in the part of the article that listed some celebrities’ common fears, because in a way it made them seem more down to earth and like any other person. Personally, I have a huge fear of germs, so nowadays even when someone coughs then jokes that they have ebola, I immediately try to go the other way. Also, I have a fear of being attacked by an intruder, so if I’m home alone and hear even the slightest rustle of sound, I instantly go on alert mode. Despite my fears, I, along with everyone else, should try to conquer the fears that disrupt us from living a healthy and normal life.
I think fear definitely changes with time, it probably even changes between lifestyles. We have way less worries than cavemen did, which causes us to have different fears then what will happen when we can't find shelter. I also think we have a lot different of fears throughout societies. We probably don't have all the same fears as someone without a home or starving to death.
DeleteI read the article “Factoring Fear: What Really Scares Us and Why”. In this article they talked about how fear can be contagious, and that when someone around us is afraid we can become afraid. I found this really interesting and completely true. When you are around someone you usually become afraid or anxious. My personal fear is the dark, especially when it’s dark out and I’m outside. I believe we usually feel fear because we feel threatened by something, and that it’s just a defense mechanism. When someone is fearful they are usually cautious, without fear we wouldn't ever be cautious. I think fear gives us many emotions. Without fear you would never be embarrassed by something you did, or never feel anxious. Overall I’m glad we have fears, and I think it would be amazing to find out the true definition of a fear and what causes them.
ReplyDelete“What Really Scares Us?”, USA Today
ReplyDeleteThe article was very interesting in how it discussed fears people had years ago, like communism. I also thought it was interesting that fear is good for us i never really thought of what would happen if you saw a grizzly bear and didn't do anything because it didn't scare you. My own fears I have is terrorism and a deadly virus like ebola. I think its funny that a year ago we were fearing North Korea and now it is not seen as a very large threat. As time goes on I believe that our fears will change to new ones will come about , repeating this process over and over till we die.
I read “What Really Scares Us?” from USAToday. The article discussed why we all have fear and why it is important for us to experience it. The article explained that fear is an instinct we have to protect ourselves from threats, even if the threats pose no actual harm. Fear is caused by uncertainties that we feel from observing something mysterious. The common thread between all of our fears through time is that they are all based on not understanding something. The details of our fears have changed, but the fears have remained relatively similar in that most of them involve fearing other people and their effects. Meanwhile, I am afraid of standing on cliffs in nature because I am scared of falling off of them and dying. I don’t want to lose my life just because of losing my balance by putting myself at risk by being by a ledge.
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ReplyDelete“What Really Scares Us,” USA Weekend
This article states that people are bound to have some kind of fear, big or small, whether it’s heights, darkness, or public speaking. If fear starts to control us, we need to overcome that fear. Otherwise it will never go away and will affect our daily lives. It goes on to say that knowledge and education are key factors in eliminating some of the fears and things we think to be true. I found it interesting that we can use our fear to create many solutions. The best solution, I think, is to face our fears (if they aren’t fatal). This would help us learn they are not as bad as we think. What scares me the most is natural disasters. Whenever there’s a tornado warning I’m freak out. I’m afraid of what might negatively happen. Whenever I hear of a local disaster on the news, I get worried. I’m very glad we don’t have to worry about hurricanes, tsunamis, or major earthquakes here. I believe that fear comes from not being able to be in control. If we aren’t, we fear it because it is unpredictable, sometimes risky, and unknown - we don’t know what to expect then. Instead of trying to learn more about it, we run away, thinking the worst. We need to accept our fear and conquer it, b/c when we do, we develop more confidence and courage, which prepares us to face future fears.
In response to Bethany Anderson:
DeleteI totally agree to your response on fear and what really scares us. I too am horrified of natural disasters. Once I hear the warning on the TV, I am instantly shaking and am continuously looking outside the window to see what is happening. I completely believe that the reason behind this fear might just as well be what you said above, and that is because we can't control natural disasters,and we just have to wait and see what happens.
I read the article from USA Weekend "What Really Scares Us," and found it very interesting. I completely agree with the section in the article that said we fear what we don’t know. I can totally relate! One of my biggest fears is that I’ll die and I’ll just be all alone in darkness. I fear this because I don’t know what will really happen when I die, so I just worry and fear it. This article reminded me of the fact that I’ve heard before that says public speaking is the #1 worst fear of people, death is #2. I find this so bizarre! I guess it’s because I’m just so comfortable with public speaking that I find it weird some people are so scared of it, while on the other hand as I said before death is one of my biggest fears. One of my funnier fears is my fear of the dark! It’s a pretty big fear of mine. I know it’s a little irrational but whenever I’m the last one downstairs at night and I have to turn off all the lights I freak out! Once I turn them all off I run up the stairs so fast it’s not even funny! Back to the article, I agree with them how it’s odd that we like to scare ourselves with haunted houses and scary movies. Even though personally, I don’t, I know a lot of people who do and it’s quite a peculiar thing. Humans sure have some silly interests!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Faith Murphy
ReplyDeleteYour response was so true! I totally agree! Kidnapping is such a scary thing! And now that I'm reading all these other responses I realize that I have about a million more fears than I thought I did! Wow, there are so many scary things out there! It really makes you think!
I read the article "Factoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why?" Fear has always been an alluring and intimidating prospect, something I often ponder. I'll look at doll and ask myself why on earth an inanimate object is scary and try to rationalize in my head such a fear before giving up and deciding to avoid them altogether. Something I found particularly interesting in the article is how exposing yourself to your fear and coming up with logical solutions causes them to disappear. I know when I was younger I had a lot of trouble sleeping because I would always imagine dark and scary monsters in my room, so I would build a wall of blankets to keep me safe (because let's be honest-- who doesn't feel safe in a blanket!?) and I got a night light. After that I could sleep just fine. Whereas most people are afraid of realistic things like being kidnapped, maimed, raped, or ultimately killed, I find absolutely no fear in death. Maybe it's just because I'm religious, but I'm not afraid of being stabbed to death or burning in a house fire. I decided a long time ago I would die when I die, and nothing can be done about it so I shouldn't worry. Rather, I fear the irrational, supernatural things that can't be proven or disproved. Not so much like ghosts, but demonic and satanic things. To me that is far more frightening than a serial killer, because anything supernatural can hurt you even past death. So naturally, things like possessed dolls or demons scare me. I have a very low tolerance level for anything horror related, so I am very strict about what I allow myself to see. I never watch horror movies, not even the trailers, I don't go into Halloween stores or haunted houses-- don't get me wrong, I love the holiday, but I know that if I even catch a glimpse of something scary my imagination will go crazy and I won't sleep for weeks. If it doesn't scare me in the moment, it will come back later, and I for one happen to treasure my sleep, so I will in no way jeopardize that. Some may call me a wimp, but I lived by this system for a long time quite nicely, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteFactoring Fear: What scares us and Why
ReplyDeleteThis article explained how fear causes us to react to it since it is a normal instinct humans have. Although it may be noticeable when someone is scared, measuring how much fear someone has is harder to find. We respond to stimuli from our brain because it tells us to do something. I can say this is accurate because if I am scared or nervous, I may jump in shock, or walk faster in a darker area. This is relatable to many other people because just like it is stated in the article, our brains are all programmed a similar way. Some actions happening when we are scared is if our palms are sweaty, or increased blood flow. Personal experience can affect fear because if you watch a horror movie, you might be afraid of something crazy can happen to you, even though it doesn't seem realistic. I know I have a fear of spiders, probably because of the shape they are, and they see, creepy to me, causing me to feel uncomfortable everytime I see a spider.
In response to Alyssa Terrana, I agree that personal experience can trigger more fear because you have seen something bad happen, like horror movies. Although it is just a movie, I am still more aware. It really shows you another perspective you may not have seen before. I also get nervous over little things so it can affect me more as well. I understand now that fear approaches people in different ways. Fear can be very controlling!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article "What really scares us?" I thought it was truly insane how fear is a result of us being able to live because it keeps us alert and allows us to avoid threat. Not just that, but I thought it was interesting how people don't know what they're fearing because you don't know what can happen to you. If you identify the fear then it will make life easier because you then understand the situation which will allow you to confront your fear. I personally am petrified of demonic things (Paranormal Activity) when I sleep because I feel like something terrible can happen when I'm sleeping. In reality this makes fear a factor in life that people must confront because it may seem terrifying, but it helps us live, alert, and healthy. If you don't face that fear then you could be dreading it for the rest of your life. Another part that I found interesting in the article was that it said to only fear real threats because there are more serious situations rather than being scared of something like "manufactured zombies". People must start to understand the larger picture here. Overall, fear is a factor that is a part of life that allows us to be careful and alert. Fear may sound like a scary subject, but it's all about confronting that fear that will lead to a more easier and relaxed future. Also it's okay to be scared of something, but make sure it could be a real threat and not something that doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Liam on how fear is a result of us being able to survive on alert and keep us away from threat. I guess fears aren't such a bad thing to have after all.
DeleteI agree with how Liam said to fear things, but make sure those fears are of realistic proportion. This will allow for decisions made while having more alertness.
DeleteIn response to Katelyn Smith, I agree, The only true way to get rid of a fear is to face it head-on to prove that it's not as big of a deal as you thought.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Mia: I agree with you about the celebrities, but I always find it interesting that articles are always saying that these celebrities are just like us and it's just weird because they are just like us! I mean they are humans too and they do have fears as well. Also I agree that everyone around us is just living life everyday just like us trying to conquer their fears.
ReplyDelete“What really scares us?” USA Weekend
ReplyDeleteThis article explained fear in depth, and how most of the time, our fears are really just our mind imagining things that are very unlikely to happen. However, fear is essential to humans, because without it we have no motivation to protect ourselves. Fear is generated from information that is unknown, because that is what sets our imagination loose. Personally, I am afraid of anything that is powerful and out of my control. Ebola, although cliche, is a perfect example of this. The reason so many people are losing sleep over this virus is the fact that there is little we can do to prevent it; that’s what makes it scary. It is human nature to want to have control over everything, so when something big and terrifying is out of control, it scares me to death. Along these lines, I am also scared of natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes- again, forces out of my control. The thought of complete and utter unpredictability just makes me shiver; I’m sure many others can agree with me on this. Overall, fear is important to humans and shapes us to be the people we are, even though it scares us to death.
I would completely agree with Emma on her fears. Things we are not capable of controlling in life, beings about fear within us. We have no idea when some of these things may happen in our life and we are not able to necessarily process this.
DeleteIn response to Liam:
ReplyDeleteI agree; often it is our supernatural fears that shield us from our real ones. However, these fears can sometimes be linked to eachother, even though one is real and one is not. People need to stop worrying so much over fears that don't exist and instead worry about fearful things in the real world.
In response to zach i completely agree 100% we only make our fears worst when we decide to think about them. When i go to bed and start to think about my fears i will not be able to fall asleep very easily
ReplyDeleteWhat really scares us?" USA weekend
ReplyDeleteSo this article talked about fear and how fear is just something that we don't know much about. An example would be someone who does not know much about snakes and being afraid of any snake they see. Personally I am afraid of Wolves and Coyotes . The reason I am afraid of those two things is because I have to walk my dogs late at night or early in the morning and usually they start howling and sometimes I see them like 30 feet away and it’s dark out so it’s even more scary. According to the article fear has changed over the past century and people would get scared of stuff like communism. I do think fear will change in the future to things like over population or lack of resources.
In response to Emma:
ReplyDeleteI also have a fear of natural disasters and how unpredictable they are. Also on how you said that without fear then how would we protect ourselves.
Factoring Fear; What Scares Us and Why
ReplyDeleteThis article states that fear is a natural instinct that humans have all of our lives, and how it makes us react to different scary situations in similar ways. Many people have a wide variety of different fears with many different reactions. I personally have a fear of needles. Whenever I have to get a shot I get sweaty, I start shaking, and I get lightheaded. I know other people with this fear have a completely different reaction than myself. I’m honestly not sure why I have this fear, because once I get the shot I know that it’s not a big deal. In the article it says that the behavior around us may influence our fears or our reactions to what we are scared of. I agree with this completely because I remember that when I was little I would always come with to my older sisters doctor appointments and she would always freak out when she had to get shots. Many people have basic fears, such as spiders, heights, clowns, etc. Due to current situations, many fear the spread of ebola, economic issues, etc. As our world develops and faces more problems I believe that new fears will pop up.
In response to Bethany Anderson, it is so true that everyone is going to have a fear of something, one way or another. I don’t think that it is possible to not be scared of anything, considering that it is human nature. Even if you get over one fear, another is going to show up.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article/factoring-fear-what-scares/
ReplyDeleteFear is an unfortunate emotion that we all face. It's true that without fear, we wouldn't know the difference between safty and danger because without fear, we wouldn't be capable of feeling either emotion. An interesting thing about fear is that we all have long term and short term fears. For example, one of my long term fears is snakes, even when I was in preschool, I was terrified of them and it's a fear won't ever grow out of. A short term fear I had about a year ago when we adopted our third dog, and I was afrade that the second would try to hurt her as she is quite aggressive, but she quickly became the mother to the puppy and always took good care of her. We all face fears, but it's how we deal with them that makes a difference.
In response to Ava Kanthack
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it is really strange that public speaking is the number one fear and that death is number two. It seems backwards that people are scared of public speaking even though it's not going to kill you.
USA Today article response-
ReplyDeleteMany personal scenarios cause fear for each and everyone of us. Also when major events happened to our society it scares us whether we know it or admit it. For example in the early years of this decade people were afraid of terrorists after the nine eleven bombing but today, people are afraid of the ebola virus, will it spread? Are we safe? Rumors also leak untrue material to scare people even more. Therefore peoples fear’s have changed in the past centuries and will continue to change in the future. I liked this article a lot because it told me how fear is built up and how fear evolves. I am afraid of spiders because I dislike how they crawl along the floor and can pop out of nowhere. They also duplicate like crazy and I hate that!
In response to Clay, I too agree that the article was filled with facts and details that were very interesting. I also liked how it told how it evolves.
ReplyDeleteI read the USA today article. I found the fears of the famous to be very interesting. Its very weird to think that some people would consult horror films as an aid to confront their own personal fears. Me personally the thing i would fear most is beginning off on my own. Some people look forward to the day they leave their house and start a life on their own. I feel like it would be really strange to have all the responsibilities that you may have once shared fall all on your own shoulders. I don't really have an explanation for this fear, its just something that comes to my mind sometimes, like, where will i go, and what will i do when its just me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James staring a new life with out your parents is going to be super hard! But eventually when you face your fear your going to realize it was an easy step in your life. When I watch scary movies I always feel like that could happen to me but in reality it wont.
DeleteIn reply to max i to have that fear of heights to some degree, but not in the moment. I am not afraid of being in high places until i see them from back on the ground i think what was i doing up their i could have died.
ReplyDeleteI read the article, "What Really Scares Us?,” from the USA Weekend. Personally, I have never really taken into account why our own fears exist or what causes these fears to develop. Many of our fears are created through different encounters we experience throughout our life. Also, many fears can come about from thoughts in our heads that we are not capable of getting rid of. Fear within everyones life are is a good thing to an extent; it allows us to escape and avoid threat, yet sometimes there is no threat to escape from. This article made me become aware of what my true fears are in life and the reasons behind these fears. Some of my major fears currently would include, clowns and the Ebola virus. Clowns are just scary for about every reason and the Ebola virus creates fear within me since there is isn’t much we can do to prevent it. Throughout the years, the fears within people have changed in regards to world events happening around them. Depending on what is going on within the world, people’s fears can change rapidly or they can maintain a fear they will never get over.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Elise Olson. I agree with you on fear that sometimes fear goes too far and in my perspective it sometimes controls you in a way. Making us so afraid to go out and do something because we’re just so caught up.
DeleteI read USA Today article and found it be very factual and very interesting. One thing I took away from this was "Without fear, we wouldn't be alive. Fear allows us to escape and avoid threat”. This is a very true statement because if we hadn’t had fear in our life, we couldn’t of known what possibly could have been a real threat and which would of harmed us. Fear to me is an emotion that can be very persuasive and go to your head and take over your thinking process. I think it can be triggered from limitations you have set on yourself weather that being from other people telling you or in general what you have experienced in your past. A fear I have is insects in general, but spiders in particular. I guess the only excuse I can say when I start screaming like an eight year old and run as far away from these things in because of the way they look. Insects in general are just disgusting and grossing to image in your head. I mean, just look at them, how could you like such a thing!
ReplyDeleteIn response to mavericks post, I also too agree that the way spiders crawl in general and the way it seems how they reproduce so much, its terrifying.
ReplyDeleteI read the "What Really Scares Us", USA Weekend article. This article made me realize that fear does have a positive aside from it's obvious negatives, such as the stress and anxiety it could give you. It's positive is that fear allows you to escape from threatening scenarios, which I then realized that this does make sense. For example if you were in fear of a certain disease you would take the extra step to make sure you didn't get the disease such as washing your hands more or cleaning your house more.
ReplyDeleteAs for me personally, I fear more big picture stuff, such as things that could cause me to die due to an accident, or being homeless/poor. I specifically have always feared dying from a plane crashing into an ocean, because of hearing about different cases where that has happened and a bunch of people died from either the crash or from drowning in the middle of the ocean. This is where, like the article, it would motivate me to come up with solutions to this predicament. I then concluded that I would never go on a plane that was projected to fly over water.
Even though I have been on many planes travelling over water, I am scared of planes too! Yes, I am afraid of being stranded in the middle of the ocean, but I am also a bit claustrophobic on them. The smaller amount of room with the seats is definitely not helping me.
DeleteI completely agree I also find it interesting you bring up the plane crash fear because I also share that fear for the same reason
DeleteI agree with you in the sense that fear has positives and negatives. Without fear people would not react to threatening situations and essentially people would have no sense of danger.
DeleteBlog #6: Factoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, I found it very interesting how through science, it was possible to determine what triggers fear, and how the stimuli contributes to the process of making us feel fearful and nervous. I also found it new and interesting, how by noting the amount of blood flow in our brains can as well help the determination of our levels of fear toward something. I could believe that fear has changed over the past century, and can very likely change in the near future. It seems as though the fear factor is constantly changing for many. It seems to me that there are more things that I have a fear for now, than I did just a couple years ago, although some of them may also be irrational thoughts, but they still make me think. One thing in particular that I have a great fear towards would have to be both doctors appointment and the day that I diy. I say doctors appointments because sometimes I never know what to expect, and let’s face it, I absolutely hate getting shots and vaccinations. Though I can very easily handle them, the thought of them gets me worked up and quite nervous as I am waiting. Plus, who isn’t nervous as well as curious of the day that they will eventually diy.
I too agree that our fears have and will change. With our new knowledge about things we never thought of before there is a lot more things that we could fear. For example Ebola.
DeleteI read the article, "What Really Scares Us?" from USA today.I learned that fears aren't necessarily a bad thing, but good to an extent. Fears help us escape and avoid threat. I would've never thought of it that way! They also mentioned how fears are different, depending on the time era and environment. In prehistoric times, they would be afraid of venomous things killing them. When looking at my fears, they almost seem silly to the cavemen's. I fear death and disease. It's not something that prevents me from leaving my house or stopping me from doing things, but the thought of a short life or pain is just scary to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emma. Fears are not always bad, since fears do hold us back from doing things that are potentially dangerous. I think if humans couldn't feel fear then they would make bad choices.
DeleteI read the article “Factoring Fear, What Scares Us and Why”. I found interesting that whether it is a drop in stock or a bad snake the brain acts the exact the same way to it. Also that fear is the response to immediate stimuli, also that sweaty palms, empty feeling in the gut, the racing of your heart, and the nervousness is all from your brain responding to a very specific threat. I had no idea that the brain reacted like that to fear. I have many fears, consisting of a fear of being buried alive, being unhappy in the future, not being able to live easy in the future, a slight fear of heights that used to be major but it changed, and probably the biggest being a disappointment to my parents. I wonder actually how scared I am of these things, but unfortunately no one has discovered how to measure fear.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article/factoring-fear-what-scares/
ReplyDeleteOur bodies respond to anything our brain deems a threat. Fear is your bodies reaction to an immediate stimuli. The emotion of fear exists from decades of evolution, as fear can tell our bodies we are in danger save our lives. Scientists believe that fear is based a great deal on the environments we exist in, which will most likely lead to fear changing in the future.Personally, I am afraid of spiders, though I’m not sure why. It seems to be more of an instinct than a rational concern.
I agree with Jacob that as our environment changes our fears will change too.
DeleteIn response to Emily Harrison
ReplyDeleteI agree with your explanation of environment’s effect on our personal fears. It will be interesting to see how my fears change in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe article “What Really Scares Us?” Was a very interesting read. The “Fears Through the Years” portion really caught my attention. Tome, this says that smaller fears aren’t really that big of a deal when looked upon as a whole. An example of one of my fears is heights. From up above, everything looks like it’s from a different world even when in reality it’s not that high. When this is compared to some of the bigger fears like the Cold War, communism, and Ebola it seems to be unimportant and small. Not that there’s no reason to have fears, but that there’s bigger problems in the world to be fearful of.
In response to Liam, I thought that it was interesting how fear is what controls what our threats are too. I also agree that it’s important to understand the big picture and larger fears our world faces.
ReplyDeleteI read the article "What Really Scares Us" and it says that fear isn't always a bad thing and can be good. Fear can help us stay cautious in situations that can harm us. I have many fears including claustraphobia and fear of heights. Fears and anxieties aren't all that bad even if we think they are. They help us stay alive.
ReplyDeleteI read the article “Factoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why?” This article talked about how the felling you get when you’re afraid is a programed response to a specific threat. Also I found it interesting that fear even affects different species in similar ways. It was also interesting to read how fear can also be very personal. Personally I’m afraid of heights to a degree. For example I could never do skydiving or bungee jumping. But I love to go the top of the Handcock in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteI read the article "What really scares us?" By the USA Weekend magazine. What I read in this article made me think about fear, what is it? What causes it? I was answered, the second part anyway, it is,caused by a number of things. The one side of fear that I'm focusing on for myself is fear can stem from a lack of knowledge. I have had a long fear of bees/wasps, ever sense I was little, not because I was stung by any, it was my fear of being stung that made me fear them. I was afraid of being stung because based on what I knew, it hurt, it can kill you, poison you, make them swarm to attack you. So, I fear them because I was afraid of those things, I learned many things about these anthropods, the killing and hurting parts anyway, and that drove my fear even more, the fear that I was in danger. This got me thinking, what evolutionary benefit does fear bring? Well, pain isn't a pleasant thing, but it alerts us that are bodies are being damaged, fear is like a warning to you, making you try to escape something you think could hurt or kill you. That's what it was mostly likely was at are more primitive roots, but now? We still have those fear bases, but are evolutionary changes have brought it to new complexity, making us fear things that could not kill, but we things based on a lack of understanding, because if we don't know it, we don't know if it's a threat, so it's smart to avoid it, evolutionarily speaking. But, fear also has a flip side to it, if we fear something, and we have no choice but to confront it, we become more aware, more resourceful, because are body knows this is a threat, and you need to fight back, if you have healthy fear. Anxiety will lead to crippling fear that overrides this, and you need use your fear to face your fear. (As preference to why I focused on evolutions benefits of fear, evolution is one of my top 5 favorite subjects in bio, and I've always felt everything are bodies have, even on the emotional level, has a purpose, and I've always wanted to try to understand evolution, it seems so complex to be guided by random mutations, cam it be guided?)
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI read Fear Factor from usa today. We are afraid of what we don't know because we don't know if its dangerous or not. Which is why people are afraid of the dark or snakes, we arent really afraid of the dark we are just afraid of what's in the dark. Fear is much different from the past for instance, in the 1940’s Europe was a dangerous place where war and genocide took place now its a vacation hotspot where people enjoy the refurbished battlefields. There will definitely be new fears in the future, it would be naive to think there wouldn't with scientific evolution i predict we will be afraid of war or even our own government. But there’s no reason to worry about any of that till the time comes. For now just keep paying money to go to the movies or Six Flags to keep your fright level up.
The article I read was “Factoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why?” Something new I learned was that fear is the response to the immediate stimuli. Another interesting thing to be noted is how much fear has changed over time. In the other article there was a short timeline displaying how peoples fears about 50 years ago differed drastically compared to now and even compared to the future. Something I used to be scared of as a kid was the dark, but as I got older, I learned to accept darkness because there was no way to avoid it. In conclusion, no matter how cliché it sounds, facing your fears is the best way to go.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article "What really Scares Us" for USA magazine, I feel differently about fears we all have. Everyone always thinks fears are a terrible thing, but fear is actually a good thing in some cases. Fear allows us to escape and avoid threat. This really shocked me. How could fear possibly be a good thing? It was also interesting to hear that fear changes based on time periods. Many years ago people feared communism. People today often fear disease and terrorism. It's so weird to hear how different those fears are, but both still have huge affect on our lives. Overall, no matter what people fear, all of the scary thoughts we have going on in our mind are sometimes good things, and can help us in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think fear is both a good thing and a bad thing. It can help us survive dangerous situations but it also hinders us when it grows out of control. As the USA Today article states, over a quarter of Americans suffer from anxiety disorders - I personally know of a few. That's an example of fear hindering. Although it is an important tool of survival, it's becoming much too used nowadays as our environment is filled with terrorism, diseases, horror in media, and international tensions. I think fear will always be this way. In the article, it provides a timeline of decades and shows the fears of Americans in each span of ten years - there's always something to fear; even in the 1990s, when there were no real outside threats, we began to fear each other. No matter what we do, it's our natural instinct to use the tool of fear, and that won't change. The only thing people can do to control this tool is face their fears and conquer them.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Emma. I thought it was extremely weird and unheard of to consider fears as being good things for us. How could that possibly make sense? But, after hearing the reason for it being a good thing, it did totally make sense.
ReplyDeleteI am not genuinely afraid of much, in fact the only thing I really fear is the stuff that I cannot find out/out of my control. Many things creep me out, horror stories, spiders, clowns, etc. But I am not afraid of them, simply spooked by them. Things that actually cause fear in me are things completely out of my control, like natural disasters, political issues, war, etc. If something awful like 9/11 or Pearl Harbor comes in my lifetime (and as much as I hate to say it, it probably will) Then I could have a panic attack, as many other American Civilians. As I said earlier, many things spook me, not enough to cause fear, but fewer things cause real fear that is simply out of my control. As for the future, there is no point in worrying about it, to me that is irrational anxiety more than fear as said by many famous people, "Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today, today is a gift. That is why we call it the present."
ReplyDeleteMy fear is stage fright. I just feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a crowd of people. Although, these days now a lot of people's fears consist of terrorism and viruses, such as Ebola. Social media and rumors about such bad things in this world causes fear. The past century now, fear seems as though it has changed because back then there were plenty of diseases but not as many scenarios as there are now like, my fear of having stage fright. As the years go by I feel as though the main fears like diseases and terrorism will always stay, but the minor-ish ones will be more changing because the world is changing too. I thought the article titled "Scientific America" was interesting because it talked about how different people have different fears in their lives because some people are afraid of snakes, and some are afraid of their stocks depleting. Fear comes in all shapes and sizes and people have those fears whether they know it or not.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the article “What Really Scares Us” I’m pretty terrified of a few things. This would include being home alone and dying. When I am home alone I get super paranoid, I think I hear things but really it’s just all a figure of my imagination. But once I’m on that trail I tend to never stray far from it. Noises make me think that someone broke into my house or a ghosts which I know probably aren’t real but it all gets me worked up and scared. I know being afraid of dying sounds silly but when you think about it you don’t know what really happens. There are so many novels about having been to heaven and back but how are you supposed to believe in something that could have easily been a story. I like being around, having people in my life that always make a bad day better and dying just doesn’t sound pleasant. Going on to something that is just a what if? Will I become nothing and have just disappeared or will I go to heaven with the great man upstairs. Fear is supposed to allow us to escape and avoid threat but sometimes it gone too far.
ReplyDeleteThe article I read was Factoring fear: What scares us and why. I thought it was interesting how the brain reacts the same to all kinds of fear no matter what sparks the fear. For me I am scared of the ebola virus and how it can possibly mutate and spread faster. I feel that if we were more educated on our fears we wouldn't be as afraid of them.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usatoday.com/experience/weekend/lifestyle/what-really-scares-us/17604159/
ReplyDeleteThis article talked about what fear is and how it can arise in one's self. Many times its just the unknown like going on a plane if you stay at home too much.and this is also true for me, not the riding a plane, but the unknown, specifically supernatural things like ghosts and such. Because of this I can relate to cavemen afraid of a lot of things and how fear works. What I also found was the use of Fear to help us in times of danger like if a Polar Bear comes charging at you with its maw wide open and ready to devour you, you wont just stand there because we have fear to help us get the heck out of situations where our life is in danger .
In response to Emma Soden i also agree that fear is a very important part of us and even if it is annoying it can save us at important.
ReplyDeleteI read the usa today article. The article was very interesting. It made sense of what people are afraid of and why. People are afraid of the unknown which explains why people are more afraid of sharks than car crashes even though you're more likely to die in a car crash than a shark attack. Cars are very commonplace to most people, whereas sharks are not justifying people fearing the less deadly shark over the more deadly car. Also i found the information on horror movies quite interesting. Subconsciously, horror movies help us overcome our fears that are depicted in the film, and the do this by allowing us to visualize it and nearly experience it outside of our mind leading to more knowledge of the fear making that particular fear less scary.
ReplyDeleteIn the article "factoring fear: what scares" it was interesting to learn about the ways fear works and how scientists are trying to figure it out. What also caught my attention that i never thought about before is how they can't measure fear because everyone reacts to fear slightly differently, and to different things. I do indeed believe that fear has changed over the past century and will in the near future due to our ever expanding knowledge about our world. As we learn more we can debunk things we shouldn't be scared of and find new things that we should be afraid of. As for me, nothing comes to mind as to what I fear. Sure, everyone fears death, who wouldn't? Although I'm not fearing it and curious about it but i'm sure when i'm about to die i'll be scared.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said on how people's fear "levels" have changed over the past century and they will kind of keep evolving and becoming different.
DeleteI read the article, "What Really Scares us and I found it to be very interesting as well as accurate. It seemed to pinpoint all the things we cannot fathom about fear. For example, the way our fears are so miniscule compared to the ones people had to deal with in Prehistoric times, yet we still experience the same rush of adrenaline as we panic. One of my biggest fears is seaweed, I hate this harmless plant, while other people are not affected by it at all. This is what makes fear so interesting. It s so different for every person, while at the same to possessing many of the same qualities.
ReplyDeleteWhile I read the article by USA Weekend, I feel like it wouldn’t be very helpful to people trying to overcome your fears. I feel like the advice “face your fears” is awful advice because fears that someone may have are irrational. They know that clowns aren’t deadly, but they still have a fear of clowns. Sure, they might have heard all the statistics about plane crashes, and even have gone on a plane, but they still could be afraid of flying. From how the article made it sound, it felt like they were downgrading the fears that people have to shadows on the wall in the middle of the night. Even when the author said “Ventriloquist dolls creep me out”, I couldn’t help but think of this video by Vsauce of “Why Are Things Creepy?”:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEikGKDVsCc
I don’t know. Maybe I’m the irrational one, and overcoming a fear is just as simple as keeping cool under pressure. Right now, though, I’m afraid of letting down everyone around me, and I think it will probably stay that way, no matter how many times I get it right.
I read the USA article, and it seems like most people are afraid of catching a disease or being Attacked. I'm afraid of deep water and being alone in open spaces
ReplyDeleteI read the article from the USA Weekend magazine. The thing that really scares us are the major events that are going on in our current time periods. Now we are afraid of terrorism because of 9/11 and ISIS. We are also afraid of the Ebola virus because hardly anyone survives it. However in the 1960's they were afraid of the government and communism. Fear is what is relevant to you and that harm or even kill you mentally, emotionally, or physically. Fear will change in the future. While I don’t know what the future holds, there will potentially be another war, another great depression, the government collapsing, etc. My biggest fear is that I will go to Chicago and get killed. I can’t go down to Chicago without being nervous. I would rather go anywhere else except Chicago now. The other thing that scares me is the Ebola virus. It has killed many people and a nurse in Maine is supposed to be quarantined but instead is going wherever she wants. People are not taking this seriously enough and that puts fear into me.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to Matt Mackeben-
ReplyDeleteI agree that conquering your fears are the best way to get over them. I was afraid of flying at first but then I went on a plane and I realized it was not so bad after all.
In reply to Rachel-
ReplyDeleteI agree! It seems that the intention to overcome fear is a useless practice that just results in us being exposed to something that makes us uncomfortable. Fears are fears, and they are irrational for a reason. So if the are irrational how can we devise a way to conquer it. I am sure not going to jump into seaweed just to feel more comfortable about it!
In response to Jaylynn Kutz, I also agree with her because I also do notice that people tend to be more scared of things that they aren't used to.
ReplyDeleteI read the article “What really scares us?” and I had to agree with that article, we are afraid of things with the preconceived notion of being scary. Yet most of us haven’t experienced a moment with something that terrifies us to the point where we have a crippling fear. Creating something imaginative in our head to why we believe that clowns, or snake are scary is what truly gives us a fear of things. If we were to walk up to a snake and act completely calm we aren’t any threat to them and they are no threat to us, believing in media or scary graphic images of our fears only escalates our fear deeper. Media has a large impact on what we believe is scary, for example, someone who is afraid of clowns or demons have probably watched a scary movie to believe that a killer clown would actually hurt them. But I believe that the irrational fears in our head are just overactive imagination to make us believe that our fears are reasonable.
ReplyDeleteI found the article "What scares us and why" very interesting because it said that fear can effect us by what happens daily around us and the people we interact with. For example, this is happening in our society today with the ebola virus. If you even say the word ebola in our school, kids will start to flip out and make the most annoying jokes about it because some people don't necessarily take it seriously. On the other hand, people who are actually afraid of the virus talk about it like they know everything and just because everyone talk about they think they will get it. That's not the case though. Did you know that in America today, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning or winning the lottery than you do getting ebola? I am not scared of the virus because I know the only ways to get it and I don't plan on doing any of those things any time soon. The things that scare me the most are losing my family, or moving, Which I am actually doing. The article states that if you were to have different people in a study to list their fears, every one of their fears would be unique and different depending on what kind of experiences they went through and what effects them the most.
ReplyDeleteMy fears are heights and needles. Most people today have a common fear of terrorism since the attack on 9-11. Also the new few of today is contracting ebola which along the millions of other people i am afraid of getting it too. I think that fear is basically coming from something that you are not familiar with. For example people in the south are afraid to drive in snow because they don't get snow often so they don't know how to react to it but on the other hand people from the north have become accustomed to snow because its a yearly occurrence.
ReplyDeleteI read the USA today article. I that over the years fears have changed a little because of what is happening on T.V, whenever you turn on the T.V you will always see either movies or shows that have outrages scenarios and completely made up monsters. The one thing that I am afraid of is spiders. Ever since I was a little kid they have always scared me.
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