Many people strive to get rid of fears, which occurs due to discomfort, shame, and the possible development of psychosomatic diseases. But in fact, in nature nothing is created without a reason, and if something exists, it matters for the life of each of us. The article provides various examples of the manifestation of fear. The benefits of fear and the harm of fear are integral companions of this feeling, so whether it is worth getting rid of it depends only on the individual perception of events.
Fear in evolution
Fear is actually not as bad as it might seem at first glance. It arose in the process of evolution to protect people from environmental danger. But gradually man managed to protect himself from possible natural troubles that threatened him during the primitive system. These could be threats from predators, wind, rain, snowfall, poisonous plants, and other examples of fear.
The benefits of fear and the harm of fear are seemingly opposite phenomena, but in fact they protect the body from possible negative external factors. Now the dangers of the primitive world do not threaten people, but the “watchdog” often helps maintain health and even material well-being. For example, someone who is afraid to leave the house and leave the iron on will check several times whether the cord is unplugged from the socket. As a result, this person will protect himself from material damage that may occur due to forgetfulness.
Recognizing fear in other people
The caption for this photo, which appeared in Life magazine in 1973, read: “In New York, falling becomes an act of grace. Eyes pop out of their sockets, eight wheels and ten fingers rake in the air. Charlie O'Connell of the San Francisco Bay Bomber strikes a pose that would make even the most daring Roller Derby competitor afraid to do so. Still fresh in his mind is his clash with Bill Groll of the New York Chiefs at the World Cup last May. As a result, O'Connell and his team were eliminated from the fight."
O'Connell shows the same look of horror as the truck driver, although you can see O'Connell's face much better. His upper eyelids are raised as far as possible, his eyebrows are raised and drawn together, his lips are pursed and extended horizontally, and his chin is pushed forward.
The caption for this photo, which appeared in Life magazine in 1963, read: “Dallas, November 24, 1963. In an act of historic vengeance: Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President Kennedy.”
Detective J. Leavell (the man standing on the left) just heard the sound of a gunshot. His face expresses both fear and anger. His eyebrows are lowered and drawn together, almost touching his raised upper eyelids. As a result, he develops the “glare,” an expression of anger that I discussed in Chapter 6. The lower half of his face and the position of his head indicate fear. The lips are stretched horizontally towards the ears, the chin is pulled back, as the head tilts back at the sound of a shot.
Try to cover the lower part of his face with your hand so that you can only see anger in the upper part of his face. Then close only the top of his face to see the fearful expression at the bottom.
Quite naturally, Leavell instantly felt fear at the sight of the gun, fearing that the next shot would be fired at him. (From the look of pain on Oswald's face, we can guess that the shot had already been fired, and the startled reaction to the loud sound had already appeared on Leavell's face.) Detective Leavell is also angry at Ruby's shooter, since his job was to prevent such things from happening. attacks on Oswald. I mentioned earlier that it's not unusual for us to experience both anger and fear when we perceive a clear threat, and that's what we see on Leavell's face.
Now let's look at photographs showing slight signs of fear and surprise on the face.
The eyes play a vital role in expressions of surprise and fear, and it is the eyes that allow us to correctly distinguish between these expressions. In photo A, the upper eyelids are slightly raised compared to the neutral expression shown in photo B. This could be a sign of surprise, but it may simply be a sign of attention or interest. In photograph B, the upper eyelids are raised more strongly, and now it is likely that the face is expressing surprise, anxiety or fear; exactly what will depend on what's going on in the rest of the face. (In none of the photographs does Eva's face express horror, the extreme expression of fear exhibited by the truck driver and the roller skater.)
A
B
IN
If expressions were created only by changes in the eye area, as in photograph B, then what the face conveys would depend on the duration of these changes. If widened eyes appear for a second or two, the face is more likely to look surprised rather than worried or scared.
It should be obvious at first glance that Eve's face now shows fear in her eyes. Although it is common to talk about the expression of emotion in the eyes, as a rule, we do not mean the eyeballs, but what we see due to changes in the position of the eyelids. Here we see an indication that the lower eyelids do not speak of surprise or attention, but of fear. When tense lower eyelids are complemented by raised upper eyelids with the rest of the face neutral, this is almost always a sign of fear.
During the sequential transition from shot D to shot E, a gradual increase in fear can be observed. This happens due to the fact that the upper eyelids rise higher and higher. In photograph E, the upper eyelids are in the maximum upper position that Eve can provide them. This expression can be an expression of horror, not fear or anxiety, but a controlled horror, in which the person having this facial expression tries his best not to show what he really feels.
Now let's look at how eyebrows express surprise and fear. When the eyebrows are simply raised upward, as in photograph F, then such a signal turns out to be ambiguous. Most often, such a movement is a sign of emphasized attention to a specific spoken word. If so, then the highlighted word
G
D
E
AND
Z
will be spoken in a louder voice. The face in photograph F can also serve as a question mark placed at the end of a question sentence. In the previous chapter, I already mentioned that lowering and bringing together the eyebrows, as shown in photograph D on p. 205, can be used by humans as a question mark. Some of our research suggests that if a person knows the answer to a question he is asked and uses eyebrow movement, then he is likely to have an expression similar to that shown in photograph G; if a person doesn't know the answer to a question, he or she is likely to draw his eyebrows together and lower them, as was shown in Chapter 6. Shot F may also show exclamation or disbelief, especially when such an expression appears on the person listening to what his interlocutor tells him.
Photo 3 shows a very reliable sign of anxiety or fear: when such an expression appears on the face, there is little doubt that the person is experiencing fear. But no facial expression can necessarily be considered a manifestation of a particular emotion being experienced; for example, a person may experience fear but not have the raised, drawn-together eyebrows shown in photograph 3. Of course, sometimes the absence of an expression may be the result of an attempt to suppress it, but even when no effort is made to control facial expression, everyone shows all the signs of the emotion they are experiencing. Since we cannot yet explain why this happens, we do not even know whether a person who incompletely expresses fear will also incompletely express other emotions. But this is exactly the problem I am currently dealing with.
However, the expression shown in photo 3 rarely appears on the face when a person is not experiencing fear.
Usually the upper eyelids are raised, the lower eyelids become tense and are complemented by fearful eyebrows, as shown in photograph K. Compare photograph I with photograph K, in which the eyebrows are slightly raised, but not as much as in photograph G, and the eyes are wide open due to the raised upper centuries. The comparison reveals the importance of the eyelids and eyebrows in distinguishing between fear and surprise. We know that photograph I shows surprise and not fear, because the lower eyelids in it are not tense, and the eyebrows, although raised, are not brought together; both of these signs can be seen in K’s photograph.
Now let's look at the signs of surprise and fear in the lower part of the face. In case of surprise, the lower jaw drops, as seen in photograph L, and in case of fear, the lips are pulled back towards the ears, as shown in photograph M. (Note that photograph M is a composite photograph because Eva had difficulty performing
AND
TO
L
M
this is a frightened movement of the lips without straining your lower eyelids.)
You have already seen earlier that the eyebrows and eyelids themselves can signal fear, as in photo K, or surprise, as in photo I. When the movements of the eyelids are complemented by movements of the mouth, these emotions can also be reflected on the face, even without movements eyebrows. Picture H shows surprise, picture O shows concern or fear; In both photographs there is no movement of the eyebrows when expressing these emotions.
Shot P shows how important raising the upper eyebrows is in spreading the fear signal. Even though the lower eyelids are not tense and the eyebrows and mouth are making the movements usually seen in surprise, in this picture the upper eyebrows are raised so high that it gives the impression of fear. (This is also a composite photograph in which the eyebrows from photo G have been transferred to another photograph.)
N
ABOUT
P
R
WITH
Since people often confuse the expressions of fear and surprise, the two photographs above compare the expressions of these two emotions, which are intensely expressed throughout the entire face: photograph P shows surprise, and photograph C shows fear.
Fear is salvation from danger
Most people avoid walking along dimly lit alleys and parks at night for fear of being attacked. Many people are not tempted to swim during a storm or swim behind buoys. Also, the benefit of fear is to not just turn the handle of the gas stove without lighting the burners. Not everyone can walk on high roofs, especially near the edge.
In addition, if a person was frightened by some event, he remembers it well and is guided by this information from negative experience in the future. How does fear benefit? Examples are that we are afraid of losing our apartment keys, our new expensive phone, or not removing a hot pan from the heat without protecting our hands. Or perhaps a child was once chased by a dog. Now this man has grown up and always bypasses owners walking their rather large pets without muzzles.
The benefits of fears
Let's give arguments in favor of fear and find out when a phobia has a positive effect.
General
Psychologist Anastasia Platonova in the article “Such profitable fear” about. The benefit is that when a person shares his experiences, including fears, he expects help, approval and protection. Awareness and acceptance of fears adds courage and sets you on the path of struggle.
Another useful property of fear is the feeling of pleasure. When the brain receives a signal of danger, adrenaline is released into the blood. It affects intelligence by speeding up thought processes.
Biological
The benefit of biological fears is that they perform a protective function. An adult will not stick his fingers into a meat grinder or jump into a fire. The phobia is based on the instinct of self-preservation.
Pain
Fears of pain or punishment are beneficial because they encourage a person to think about consequences.
darkness
If a person is afraid of the dark, he will not go out in the evening in an unfamiliar place and will “protect himself” from meeting inappropriate people.
Water and animals
Fear of water and fear of a large dog will not allow a person to come into contact with a threat to health and life.
Overcoming biological fears helps you take a fresh look at life. For example, when people who are afraid of heights skydive or climb a high mountain, they overcome their fears and experience new emotions.
Social
Social fears are beneficial when it comes to being successful in society. For example, for a student, the fear of performing poorly on an exam will become an incentive to read the material or rehearse a speech.
Mobilization of forces and internal experience
If a person finds himself in a critical situation, his body releases adrenaline into the blood. As a result, the muscles receive more oxygen and nutrients, developing significant power. Strength increases, and thoughts become brighter and lighter. Without fear it would not be possible to enter such a state. To increase adrenaline in the blood, many people have found extreme sports. They like to completely merge with nature, feel only themselves and obey their instincts, experiencing strength in their muscles and sobriety of mind.
When there is not enough information in any critical situation, it is impossible to use logic to resolve it. In cases where the mind is faced with the unknown, fear takes over and the body submits to instinctive behavior. Often the benefits of fear manifest themselves simply in flight, for example, from intruders.
Intuitive perception of the situation, fear of punishment
In a state of fear, all sensations become aggravated: an intuitive animal premonition of the slightest hint of a threat from something arises. It also happens that a person becomes restless in the absence of obvious danger. This indicates signals coming from subthreshold stimuli. Thus, the benefits of fear are manifested, but here it is important not to overdo it with overthinking yourself.
Too many people hold back inexplicable attacks of biological aggression because of the possible punishment. In the modern world, it is not at all difficult to steal an item from a supermarket or a small piece item from a counter at a market. But the desire to preserve one’s good name greatly inhibits such impulses. Crimes, even small ones, are deterred not by a high level of awareness, but by fear of responsibility.
Personal Development
And the most important meaning of fear for modern man is the possibility of personal improvement. Some skydivers noted that they might have been afraid of heights before, but they overcame themselves after making their first jump. In this case, the benefit of fear is to increase the self-esteem of the daredevil, as well as to open new horizons for him.
But a person must be ready for a parachute jump. You can’t force a friend to do this, whose soul sinks into his heels from climbing to the 5th floor of a building. In this case, the person, once in the air, will be very tight and make a mistake. But those people who are seriously involved in extreme sports are more self-confident. The endorphins produced during exercise help them stay in a good mood, cope with stress and keep their body in excellent physical shape.
The Harm of Fear
The negative side of fear consists of overthinking what might happen. A person may, for no apparent reason, begin to fear some kind of disease, animal, or microorganism. These are all examples of the manifestation of fear, the benefit of which is absent in principle, because if there is a fear of absolutely everything, then this indicates the possibility of a mental disorder. But it’s even sad when an acquaintance does not buy a new and beautiful car, which he has always dreamed of, only because of thoughts about the possibility of an accident. If an adult is afraid to get up at night to go to the kitchen and drink water, then this is also not normal.
The problem is that people are afraid of some diseases or disasters, but they may never happen. And carriers of such fear can expect reduced immunity and even nervous diseases. In addition, such people are capable of rash actions that can cause harm to themselves or loved ones.
The benefits and harms of fear are obvious: a healthy person should experience fear to some extent, and when the sensations of fear become too strong, some discomfort arises. But is it really worth getting rid of the "watchdog" that's doing its job completely?
Source https://fb.ru/article/192159/primeryi-proyavleniya-straha-polza-straha-vred-straha
There is probably not a single person in the world who has not experienced a feeling of fear at least once in their life. It is quite natural to feel it and there is no need to be ashamed of this feeling, since this reaction saves us from various dangers and the benefits of fear have long been a proven truth.
Examples of the benefits of fear
First, let's talk a little about human evolution and anthropology. Scientists working in these fields of science have long proven that it was fear that allowed humanity to survive and develop. Our distant ancestors, when a feeling of danger arose, tried to get as far away from the source of possible trouble as possible, which is why we did not disappear as a species, because otherwise, ancient people would simply have died from the most natural natural phenomena, for example, from the same lightning strike. Experiencing horror during a thunderstorm, our ancestors instinctively sought shelter, thereby saving their lives. It is these scientific studies that are the first and main argument in favor of fear, but let's discuss modern examples and evidence of this axiom.
Many people experience discomfort when they are in the dark, and this is what prevents them from performing potentially dangerous activities, such as walking along the streets at night, or moving around in an unlit apartment. In the first case, there is a fairly high chance of becoming a victim of criminals, in the second, of getting injured at home. But this is just one example of the benefits of fear of the dark or any other phenomenon that causes trembling in the knees; it is no less important that when a feeling of danger arises, adrenaline begins to be produced in the body, which mobilizes all forces, which means that a person experiences an extraordinary sense of his own power . By overcoming ourselves under the influence of adrenaline, we can feel our own capabilities, begin to respect ourselves and even discover new horizons for ourselves.
A good example of the benefits of fear of heights are rather banal stories about how a person, having decided to overcome himself and get rid of his phobia, begins to study with a skydiving instructor. Having overpowered themselves, such people often begin to achieve success in other matters, as they believe more in their capabilities. Just keep in mind that you need to get rid of the fear of heights with an experienced instructor, and not by walking on the roofs yourself, otherwise the matter may end in tragedy rather than triumph.
Another fact of the need for a person to have this feeling can be well illustrated by an example of the benefits of fear of water. Often a sense of danger forces a person to act instinctively, and without relying on logic, for example, we often simply run away from the same attackers. Therefore, imagine that a person who does not know how to swim suddenly falls into a deep river or lake, it would seem that he must drown and there is no chance of salvation. But the produced adrenaline can have an effect on the body that is popularly called “brains knocked out”, and the drowning person will begin to instinctively move his arms and legs in order to stay afloat.
To summarize briefly, the following can be noted:
- Fear has helped humanity survive.
- It protects us from provoking various potentially dangerous situations.
- When a large amount of adrenaline is released into the blood, a person can begin to act instinctively, thereby saving himself.
- Fear helps us improve ourselves, because by overcoming it, we begin to respect ourselves and believe in our strengths.
There is no need to be ashamed of your own fears; if they do not interfere with your life, then you don’t have to get rid of them at all, because this is a kind of protection system that everyone needs.
Source https://womanadvice.ru/polza-straha
If you attend my trainings and webinars on overcoming stress and fears, and complete all the necessary exercises given, then as a result you will get rid of most of your fears, and the remaining ones will become much weaker. However, before you do this, I would like to draw your attention to the positive role of fears for a person.
At first, superficial glance, fear brings little pleasure to a person - it brings him unpleasant sensations, deprives him of joy, prevents him from doing many pleasant things and can lead to psychosomatic diseases.
But fear, as it turns out, can also be useful. Initially, this emotion arose in the process of evolution in order to protect the human body from all sorts of dangers of primitive life. But then, when man changed nature and built a new habitat around himself, the fear reaction began to malfunction and lead to all sorts of troubles.
Fear, like pain, is the body’s watchdog, which protects it from harmful influences from the outside, from risky actions and danger, thereby helping to maintain health and well-being. Let us analyze the benefit that the body should have initially derived from the reaction of fear, and see in which cases fear is useful for a person, and in which it causes harm to him.
First, fear saves our lives
, stopping in front of a dangerous situation. We don't swim far out to sea, don't stick our fingers in electrical sockets, and try not to walk down dark alleys alone. As the ancient Somali proverb says, “A mother of a coward does not lose her son” - and in this regard, fear is useful for human life and health.
Secondly, fear mobilizes a person’s strength
for vigorous activity
, which is often necessary in a critical situation. Fear dramatically increases physical strength, increases clarity and clarity of thinking. In fear, a person is able to undertake what without fear seems impossible to him. This occurs due to the release of adrenaline into the blood, which improves the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, which allows them to develop greater power.
Thirdly, fear acts as a regulator of aggressiveness
and serves as an affirmation of social order
. Fear of punishment restrains the manifestations of primary biological aggression, and also keeps many citizens within the bounds of the law. Fear of punishment is the main deterrent for people who intend to harm someone else's property or health. An example of this is the outbreaks of looting and violence that accompany almost any extreme event. One client once confessed to me that while visiting a flea market in Paris, she suddenly had an irresistible desire to steal a figurine she liked from the counter - even though she could afford to buy it. The saleswoman turned away for a minute and... But then she thought about the police, got scared - and saved her good name, and also got rid of possible troubles.
Fourthly, fear contributes to better memory of dangerous or unpleasant events
.
Fear activates memory and makes its traces especially strong.
So, our ancestors remembered places where they were attacked by wild animals or people from a hostile tribe. Another example: a child who gets burned once near an open fire remembers it for a long time. Fifthly, the meaning of fear is the ability to act in conditions of lack of information.
, when it is not enough to make a comprehensively thought-out decision. Then the behavior strategy is dictated by fear. If the brain does not know what to do in a critical situation, and the mind does not have a balanced and logic-tested recipe, then the body prefers to trust the age-old experience of instincts and emotions.
Another, sixth positive role of fear is the aggravation under its influence of all human senses.
, which allows you to see or even anticipate the smallest signs of danger. Polish psychotherapist A. Kempinski wrote about this: “Sometimes in some people one can observe the ability to predict an impending danger: in the picture of reality there is nothing that could indicate it, but, nevertheless, anxiety appears, which is accompanied in a dream or in reality by the picture approaching misfortune. In this case, subthreshold stimuli that do not penetrate consciousness can signal an impending danger.”
Another, seventh, positive meaning of fear is that through overcoming it, human improvement can occur
.
As Fritz Riemann wrote, “if we understand our painful fear also as an indication of the need to look for errors in our own behavior or as a fear of new demands of life, as a result of which we do not dare to take a new step in our development, we must accept and understand it as an invitation to enter a new stage of our development, as a call for new freedom and, at the same time, for a new order and new responsibility. In this sense, we must view fear in its positive, creative aspect, as an initiator of change." For example, since childhood I was afraid of heights, because I once climbed a tall poplar tree and for a long time could not get down from there. And as a result, to get rid of this fear, I jumped with a parachute - after which my self-esteem increased.
So, dear subscribers, if you intend to completely get rid of your fears, think - maybe you will keep for yourself a small amount of this faithful guard who protects your life, health and property? After all, we won’t kill an inappropriately barking dog, whose only fault is that it is too zealously guarding its owner’s property?
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How does fear affect quality of life? What is raising vibrations?
“Recently, many people have been complaining about various fears and phobias. Also, such a popular term as “increasing vibrations” has appeared, but few newcomers understand what it means and why they eat this strange animal. First of all, let’s pay attention to this picture, which shows the conventional vibration scale:
Please keep in mind that we have not yet learned how to measure emotions using instruments, so the figures shown here are extremely arbitrary and are given only for approximate orientation. As you can see, fear and guilt are the lowest vibration, the opposite of love. By and large, ALL human emotions can be divided into two groups
–
fear and love
, from which dozens of other states flow. It is being in these psycho-emotional states that is called an increase or decrease in vibrations.
