Fear is one of the most important emotions that help human beings survive in the face of danger. The sensation starts from the brain and eventually spreads throughout the body to prepare for any kind of threat. This essay will talk about why fear occurs and why it exists. It also explains how it is possible to not feel fear at all through brain surgery and explains the potential drawbacks of this idea. He will also discuss why people love to feel the rush of fear even though it can most likely be seen as a negative emotion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Fear is one of our strongest emotions. Although it is a very unpleasant feeling, fear gives the ability to identify harmful things, which is very important for human survival. Fear is like an alarm system that goes off when there is potential danger. In every alarm system there is some sort of trigger, such as the fire alarm that goes off when smoke is detected. Inside the brain there are two almond-shaped structures called the amygdala that are always on the lookout for potential danger. These structures are like an early detection system that acts as a trigger for the entire alarm system within the brain. When one of the five senses observes something that may be feared such as a spider, a loud noise, etc., the amygdala is activated. Almost immediately thereafter, these structures release hormones into the bloodstream, which activate areas involved in the fight-or-flight response. This leads to changes that prepare the body for any type of threat or danger and increases the urgency to stay safe. Changes such as faster breathing, a faster heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and muscle tension all occur when these hormones are released. When there's a situation involving fear, the prefrontal cortex, "...a thinking part of the brain located behind the forehead..." doesn't have time to register what's happening, so the amygdala takes over. Here's why, in moments of fear, the brain resorts to fight or flight. However, if the rational part of the brain can recognize that the situation is a false alarm, then it will tell the body to calm down negative towards fear, it is very important for survival. By having a positive outlook, fear can be seen as a proactive emotion rather than a negative one. This will lead the body to learn from its mistakes when it feels fear, so as not to take the wrong decision in the future. It also helps the brain recognize what is a threat and what is not. The reason fear exists is not to cause sadness. Rather, it is intended to help us grow, adapt and learn from our mistakes . Fear is an unavoidable emotion that we all experience many times throughout our lives, including myself. However, this is not the reason why I decided to cover this topic in my essay. The incident that led me to write about this happened not long ago, in early August. My friend and I decided to watch a horror movie. As we watched, jumpscares were surprising us left and right. After each jumpscare I was immediately filled with fear, which brought my attention to my heartbeat. Soon I began to calm down and my heart rate returned to normal. After this event occurred, I began to wonder why I felt that way. I was aware that it had to do with something inside my body edI was forced to do research about it. After researching this topic the question came to me: is it possible to know when you are in a dangerous situation without feeling fear? This would definitely help humans think smarter when there is a threat. Staying calm when you're afraid is something many people practice. Because your mind is open to more than just fight or flight, you can make smarter decisions. However, it is possible to completely eliminate fear instead of having to face it, right? It is not hard to believe that many people dislike the feeling of fear and wish it didn't exist at all. But is it possible to completely eliminate fear? As I discussed in the personal connection, people tend to panic in moments of fear, which makes it difficult to maintain composure and think. This made me wonder: If there was no fear, would one really improve one's intelligence in those types of situations, and if he did, what are the potential obstacles? After studying this topic for a while, I found that the most realistic way to remove the emotion of fear is through brain surgery. Brain surgery is not something most people would actively seek. However, the idea of ​​removing the amygdala is something that may appeal to many people. Amygdala removal is actually a well-known procedure, but it is typically not performed to reduce fear or anxiety. This procedure (also known as amydalectomy) is usually performed only to "...treat certain types of epilepsy and control aggression, especially in patients with mental illness and intellectual disability." Although there was one patient who received the surgery due to a rare genetic mutation called Urbach-Wiethe disease. “Urbach-Wiethe disease is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis due to mutations in the extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) gene.” The MS patient or “the woman without fear” underwent this procedure and emerged from the surgery healthy and without amygdala. After the surgery he was reported to show no fear. He said he didn't even know what fear was. Hypothetically it is possible to remove the amygdala, but there are many difficulties one can face without the amygdala. Without it one can still realize what can and cannot hurt them. But “…they will lack the rapid, subconscious, visceral response that the rest of us feel when exposed to danger.” So, one may be composed when he is in a dangerous situation, but his response will not be immediate or urgent, which could put him in danger. Additionally, the amygdala plays a role in memory, decision making, and emotions. Therefore, it may cause problems with recording emotions. After researching the topic of fear, most of my questions were answered. Although I still didn't understand why people like the feeling of fear. Ever since I was little I was easily scared and I realized that I liked it. The thrill of roller coasters, haunted houses, horror movies, etc. it attracts me very much. So, if fear is typically seen as a bad thing, then why would anyone want to intentionally scare themselves? When you watch a scary movie or walk through a haunted house and are faced with something that your brain registers as dangerous dopamine may be released. Dopamine is a chemical within the brain that controls the part of the brain dedicated to pleasure. The release of this chemical is caused by the fact that “fear responses produce endorphins, which can cause a sort of natural high.” Furthermore, as discussed in the thematic section, theReleased hormones trigger the fight-or-flight response, at the same time your attention shifts away from abstract thoughts and instead focuses on survival. Because the brain focuses only on fight or flight, a feeling of escape may occur. “Our thoughts can simply take a break and we can enjoy being fully in our bodies, feeling primal and animalistic. When you're on a roller coaster or in a haunted house, you don't think about bills, classes, relationships, or your future” (Manning-Schaffel, 2017). Eventually the wave of fear fades as the brain realizes that the situation isn't actually dangerous. That's when fear can be enjoyable for some people. Often, after something scary happens, one feels as if one has overcome a challenge that increases the individual's confidence. There are many methods used to overcome fear. A method that logically works best is to face your fears. It works thanks to something called habituation. “Habituation, formally defined, refers to the fact that nervous system arousal decreases with repeated exposure to the same stimulus” (Sphancer 2010). In short, this means that familiar things become boring. When you are in a state of fear, your nervous system is excited. This is understandably why most strive to avoid fear-provoking situations or objects. However, because of this, the nervous system cannot get used to it. Therefore, whenever you display the emotion of fear, whether it is because of a spider, a class presentation, etc. and you decide to avoid it, you will continue to fear it. So, to get rid of fear it is much more effective to use the principle of habituation through exposure. Exposure is one of the most effective methods used in psychology, especially in the treatment of anxiety. Exposure forces you to face your fears which will feel uncomfortable at first, but if you want to achieve a long-term goal you need to go through short-term discomfort. Think of facing fear as if you were studying for an exam. Long and tedious studying may not be fun, but it will be worth it. Exposure scares people, but scary things aren't always necessarily dangerous. Exposure is scary mostly because many people don't know what the principle of habituation is and how it works to get rid of fear. Thus, they believe that their fear will increase when put in the presence of a feared object or situation. Anxiety is like a labyrinth in the sense that the only way out is through it. Therefore, if you are afraid of spiders, you need to expose yourself to spiders. If they are afraid of roller coasters they should take a ride. If you continually face your fear, it will begin to subside. Facing your fears isn't easy, which is why most look for other ways to overcome their fear. Another method used to overcome fear is to trick the brain. This method is less effective than habituation, but it works. To do this, there are several mental and physical things that can be done to minimize fear. To get started you need to “fake it until they make it”. To do this, an individual can tell their brain positive things like “you got this!” or “everything will be fine!”. This will trick the brain into thinking the situation is more positive rather than negative, releasing hormones associated more with excitement or confidence rather than the emotions of fear. This is why being optimistic gives you more confidence than being pessimistic (Gottsman, 2016). Another way to trick your brain is to change your body language. In a study conducted by Cuddy, Caroline A. Wilmuth and Dana R. Carney, the idea.