Why do we fear? (in general)?

Question

I was walking home alone from a friends who lives a bock away and it was dark. I was afriad not because I didnt know my surroundings but just because. I've heard it said that people fear the unkown but yeah...

Answer 1

Fear is a survival function, nothing more and nothing less.
While hatred, intolerance, aversion, and weakness are all mental concepts linked to fear, how about primary fears like fear of loss of love or fear of loss of self? Fear serves to prime our survival pumps. It makes us fight or take flight or, in some instances, can cause us to freeze. Hatred and intolerance are frozen fear responses based in the overwhelmed state of ignorance. Aversion is a flight response that keeps us in avoidance of the unknown. To think of fear another way, not as a weakness but as a strength, look up the book,
"The Gift of Fear." You may like it.

Answer 2

The ture meaning of fear is having the lack a knowlege. In any given situation. The dark in itself doesn't scare you, but what might be in the dark that you can't see it the problem.
In the shadows that are made by the street lights, moon and other lights in the night are not like the shadows in the daytime with the sun. A night shadow can hide anyone completely. There are people who might want to do you harm that might be in the darkness. It is normal to be afraid to go home in the dark, at any age. Not because of the darkness, but what might be IN the darkness.

Answer 3

My english teacher first semester in college talked about this a little. She had a name for it but its basically a "6th sense" or something like that. But its the same thing as when you walk towards a wall with your eyes closed you can usually stop within a couple inches if you truely trust yourself. I also found something too, if you close your eyes and take a pencil and aim the pointy edge right between your eyes and in line with your eyebrows and get it within a 1/2 inch you can feel a tingling feeling on your brain. IDK I find it interesting too.

BTW this isn't an answer I'm just pointing you in a direction to search online or something.

Answer 4

Fear can be good in a self-preserving kind of way. You don't know your surroundings, so you are more vigilant to pay attention to what you hear... and to make a beeline to your destination.

A little fear has gotten me out of two burning buildings and also into the cellar of a stranger during a night of many tornadoes.

A little well-placed fear helped me leap backwards (from a sitting position) and away from a rattlesnake.

I think phobia is bad... and a better word for the kind of fear that you (and I) describe, is: "Respect." We respect the potential power of the unknown... we respect the potential power of danger... so we equip ourselves to face "it" (that source of fear).

Answer 5

Fear is like a disease, once you've got it, you cant get rid of it, you'll always be afraid of one thing or another. It's just the way us humans are. And dont forget crime rates going through the roof, all the violence, how could anyone not be afraid?

Answer 6

In this day and age it's easy to be afraid because there is so much evil in the world. I don't think it's necessarily bad though. It keeps us on our toes and prepared for what may lurk,

Answer 7

Instinct. Fear raises your awareness and prepares you for the fight or flight response to imminent danger. It protects you from taking unnecessary risks.

Answer 8

when we do not the outcome of something it is scary, it is basically that"Fear of the unknown" and that can be very nerve racking even for the smartest of us.

Answer 9

Because of intolerance,hatred or aversion!

Answer 10

when we r weak, we fear.