Fear

Extracted Attributes

• Definition

  An unpleasant subjective emotional state arising in response to perceived dangers or threats.

• Human Experience

  Can be experienced in response to present, anticipated, or imagined stimuli.

• Intertwined with

  Culture, social context, and trait-level differences.

• Exaggerated Fears

  Phobias.

• Universal Trigger

  Threat of harm (physical, emotional, or psychological), real or imagined.

• Associated Changes

  Physiological and psychological changes.

• Evolutionary Debate

  The concept of fear as a distinct product of evolution is debated due to shared features with other negative emotions.

• Behavioral Reactions

  Fight-or-flight responses or, in extreme cases, immobilization (freeze response).

• Origin (Old English)

  faran, faran 'to frighten, be afraid of'.

• Brain Region Affected

  Amygdala.

• First Known Use (Noun)

  12th century.

• Dysfunctional Fear Link

  Associated with internalizing psychopathologies such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

• Origin (Middle English)

  fere, Old English fr 'sudden attack or danger'.

• Attribution to Nonverbal Animals

  Problematic, as their behaviors are likely reflexive defensive responses rather than human-like fear.

• Scientifically Defensible Evolutionary Product

  Flexibility in changing bodily states and addressing bodily needs through various behaviors.

Timeline

• First known use of the word 'fear' as a noun in English. (Source: Merriam-Webster)

  12th century

Fear

Fear is an unpleasant subjective emotional state arising in response to perceived dangers or threats and which, when experienced, is typically associated with physiological and psychological changes. These changes frequently lead to behavioral reactions such as fight-or-flight responses or, in extreme cases, immobilization (freeze response). Unlike most (perhaps all) other animals, humans can experience fear in response to a present or anticipated stimulus and to imagined events. Most internalizing psychopathologies (depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and so forth) are associated with and maintained by dysfunctional, anxious, or fearful feelings and thoughts. Phobias, or exaggerated and often disabling fears, are usually similarly dysfunctional. Fear is often framed as a distinct product of evolution. This hypothesis, however, is becoming increasingly problematic because the psychological, (neuro)physiological, and behavioral changes and features associated with fear are consistently found to be shared with other negative, highly arousing emotional states such as anger, sadness, disgust, and anxiety. A more scientifically defensible product of evolution is flexibility, or the capacity to both change bodily states and address bodily needs through various behaviors, and, later, for humans, through language too (e.g., by employing categories like "fear"). Attributing fear to nonverbal animals, whether an invertebrate or vertebrate, is equally problematic because the human observer is always imposing that label. Nonverbal animals displaying an emotion "akin to fear" are rather fundamentally exhibiting reflexive defensive behaviors—your fear may be their withdrawal, avoidance, or defensiveness. It is therefore no surprise that human fear, along with other negative emotions, is inextricably linked to culture, social context, and trait-level differences.

Web Search Results

• Fear - Wikipedia

  Fear is an unpleasant subjective emotional state arising in response to perceived dangers or threats and which, when experienced, is typically associated with physiological and psychological changes. These changes frequently lead to behavioral reactions such as fight-or-flight responses or, in extreme cases, immobilization (freeze response). Unlike most (perhaps all) other animals, humans can experience fear in response to a present or anticipated stimulus "Stimulus (physiology)") and to [...] Fear can be learned by experiencing or watching a frightening traumatic accident. For example, a child falling into a well and struggling to get out may develop a fear of wells, heights (acrophobia), enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), or water (aquaphobia). There are studies looking at areas of the brain that are affected in relation to fear. When looking at these areas (such as the amygdala), it was proposed that a person learns to fear regardless of whether they themselves have experienced [...] human fear, along with other negative emotions, is inextricably linked to culture, social context, and trait-level differences.

• FEAR Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

  Middle English feren "to frighten, be afraid of," going back to Old English fǣran, fēran "to take by surprise, frighten," weak verb derivative (as also Old Saxon fāron "to lurk in wait for, frighten," Old High German fārēn "to lurk in wait for, strive, devise ill against," Old Norse færa "to slight, taunt") of Germanic \fēra- or \fēran- — more at fear entry 1 First Known Use Noun 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb [...] : an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger and accompanied by increased autonomic activity 2 : an instance of fear fear verb ## More from Merriam-Webster on fear Nglish: Translation of fear for Spanish Speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fear Last Updated: - Updated example sentences Love words? Need even more definitions? Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! [...] fear for fear for one's life fear for one's/someone's life fear not fear of the unknown fear the worst fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) go where others fear to tread I fear in fear for in fear for one's life in fear for one's/someone's life in fear of one's life live in fear never fear no fear no need to fear out of fear for put the fear of God into put the fear of God into (someone) strike fear into one's heart strike fear into the hearts of

• The Biology of Fear - PMC - PubMed Central

  Several features of such a concept of “fear” are important to stress. First and foremost, it is a functional definition: fear is a central state of an organism (Box 1). It is not identified with the conscious feeling of being afraid, nor with fear behaviors such as screaming and running away. Both feelings and behavior can of course be used as evidence for a central state of fear, but the evidence for the state is not the state itself. Instead, fear as a central state is what causes the [...] Fear is commonly thought to have adaptive functions in terms of both cognition and behavioral response. Unlike reflexes and fixed-action patterns, the relationship between stimuli and behaviors mediated by fear is highly flexible and context-dependent (see “modulation of fear”, below). Indeed, this flexibility is part of what distinguishes emotions: they are “decoupled reflexes”, central states more akin to personality traits and dispositions. One feature that highlights this are the highly [...] | Modular | Pain, predators, and conspecific aggression are 3 types of fear | | | Dimensional | Fear is one location in a 2-D space of arousal and valence (“core affect”) | | | Dimensional | Fear is one location in a 2-D space of reward and punishment | | | Social Construct | The experience of fear in humans is constructed from core affect | |

• FEAR Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

  1. a feeling of distress, apprehension, or alarm caused by impending danger, pain, etc 2. a cause of this feeling 3. awe; reverence fear of God 4. concern; anxiety 5. possibility; chance there is no fear of that happening 6. to forestall or avoid 7. certainly not 8. to frighten ## verb 1. to be afraid (to do something) or of (a person or thing); dread 2. (tr) to revere; respect 3. (tr; takes a clause as object) to be sorry: used to lessen the effect of an unpleasant statement [...] It's about to snow again, I fear. 4. Archaic., to experience fear in (oneself). I fear me he will ne'er forgive us. ## verb (used without object) 1. to have fear; be afraid. I'll go with you, so do not fear! 2. to feel apprehensive or uneasy (usually followed byfor ). In this time of economic instability, I fear for my children's future. Fear 2 [feer] ## noun 1. a river in SE North Carolina. 202 miles (325 km) long. 2. Cape, a cape at its mouth. fear / fɪə / ## noun [...] First recorded before 900; Middle English fere, Old English fær “sudden attack or danger”; cognate with Old Saxon fār “ambush,” Dutch gevaar, German Gefahr “danger,” Old Norse fār “disaster” Discover More ## Word History and Origins Origin of fear1 Old English fǣr ; related to Old High German fāra , Old Norse fār hostility, Latin perīculum danger Discover More ## Idioms and Phrases Idioms 1. for fear of / that, in order to prevent or avoid the risk of.

• What is Fear? | What Causes Fear? | Paul Ekman Group

  # Fear # FEAR Emotions Anger Contempt Disgust Enjoyment Sadness Surprise ## WHAT IS FEAR? Fear is one of the seven universal emotions experienced by everyone around the world. Fear arises with the threat of harm, either physical, emotional, or psychological, real or imagined. While traditionally considered a “negative” emotion, fear actually serves an important role in keeping us safe as it mobilizes us to cope with potential danger. ## FEELING FEAR [...] Fear can sometimes take place immediately following surprise and often oscillates with the experience of anger. ## WHAT MAKES US FEARFUL The universal trigger for fear is the threat of harm, real or imagined. This threat can be for our physical, emotional or psychological well-being. While there are certain things that trigger fear in most of us, we can learn to become afraid of nearly anything.