Why do we feel most alive when we are (injured or) near death?

Question

Why can't we capture this feeling everyday?

Answer 1

We feel most alive when we are near death not just because chemicals are released in our brains, but also because we simply recognize how meaningless our life is, and how futile it all was. How all those awards and accomplishments or whatever will soon be gone, and that all that remains is a coffin nailed shut. It is I believe one of the quintessential things that we should come to terms with before we die, our own death.

Ultimately, we are here to die. Whether your a Muslim, Atheist or Christian. So when we are close to death, we feel the most alive because it is our ultimate destination, objective, end.

Any near-death experience is, in essence, the last "deep breath" of life we feel we have before we enter into the death-realm. Thus people try to take in as deep of a breath as they can.

For the second question, we can. Live everyday/breath as if it was your last. Do everything with death straight in the face. Contemplate death, know death. We here in America do not like to do this, but it is important.

Answer 2

I believe when you are in a situation where injury can occur your fight or flight senses kick in. This is where your brain releases chemicals that signal your body to be ready to fight or run. Your digestive system slows down, the heart speeds up, and many other systems get affected. Your body cannot maintain this state for sustained periods of time however and it eventually wears off. People who have anxiety can feel this on an everyday basis sometimes, and it is can be very unwanted. Some people can induce this feeling by going on roller coasters and other things that may scare people. I think feeling this way would be exhausting after a while, that's probably the reason we can't capture it everyday.

Answer 3

The answers above refering to adrenaline capture only part of the effect. In addition to adrenaline, your focus increases massively, i.e. your GABA-ergic interneurons (inhibitory neurons) become highly activated, and you are almost not distractable.

You can partially achieve this through meditation, and also by recalling those instances in your life where you made massive errors. This causes inhibition - which is, Focus.
If you think back, you will notice that if you did some type of adventure activity, and you prepared carefully, nothing really dangerous happended, and you don't get the effect. The effect comes when you failed, and you actually exposed yourself to real danger.

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Answer 4

dude i really don't know the answer to this. well i think the answer is.. is bcuz alot of people if not everyone takes life for granted sometimes. and some if not all people are thinking alot of the time in daily life "nothing real bad can happen to me....blah blah blah..." well but when something threatans our lives. we start to realize "dang how did i not see that coming" or "i wish i would have made a different choice" or "blah blah blah" cuz sometimes we all just get so caught up in life that when something bad happens we like snap out of it well thats if we survive whatever happened. and its like a wake up call. you know? ok well i hope i helped some what. cuz i don't know what else to say. but i hope i helped some. lesson in this answer just try not to take life,or loved ones, or any thing else for granted cuz someday when you may least expect it that person or your life or that thing won't be there any more. good luck. hey helping you also just helped myself thanx.

Answer 5

You realize just how precious something is when you know you may be loosing it. Kinda like being 18 and you sorta feel like your going to live forever and you hit 50 and more and more you see people in the obits you know. scary huh? Have Happy thoughts:-)

Answer 6

The brain releses endorphine and adrenaline and other chemicals to make us feel this way when we are injured and/or near death.

Answer 7

Cause now it has came to attention that your still alive, it like if you lose your eyes the rest of your senses get all that stronger cause you need them to better survive.

Answer 8

Jason has correctly answered your first question. As to the second, if our body was exposed to a constant dose of these incredibly powerful compounds, it woudn't last long.

Answer 9

Because you don't remind yourself. However, if you keep reminding yourself, you will feel miserable.........in a sense

Answer 10

i like how you think