We know from experience and by intuition that it is not so much the source of danger which causes our anxiety but rather our proximity to it . This understanding is reflected in the old adage, "When the cat is away, the mice will play". A bear far down in the valley is not as scary as the one we come face to face with on a forest trail. Neuroscientists have studied the human brain when it is assessing the "fear factor" and indeed they found that different parts of the brain are stimulated when faced with imminent or remote dangers, thus giving rise to "panic" or mere "anxiety" in the two situations. Also interesting may be the ramification of the studies beyond actual fear assessment. It may well be that those who suffer from panic disorders have an overactive periaqueductal gray (PAG) area of the brain (the panic center).
William James, the late 19th- through early 20th-century philosopher, once proposed that people do not fear a bear when they see it but, rather, become frightened when running from it.
One hundred years later, a new brain-imaging study proves James may have been right. Using a Pac-Man–like video game and functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) scans, scientists showed that when a fear-provoking stimulus (say, a bear) is detected in the distance, the human brain switches on circuitry that analyzes the threat level and ways to avoid the animal or harm. Should the bear move closer—increasing the threat—other, more reactive regions of the brain jump into action, triggering an immediate protective response, whether it be to fight, flee or freeze in one’s tracks.
"This [duality] is evolutionarily advantageous because a system needs to be in place that evaluates and makes decisions about external stimuli and decides if it is a threat or not," says study co-author Dean Mobbs, a PhD candidate in University College London’s imaging neuroscience department. "Fast responses," he adds, "are also important because in early mammals, who were smaller and weaker than the larger reptiles, a quick response in the form of fight, flight or freeze were and still are critical to the survival of the animal." Human abnormalities in these functions, he notes, could lead to anxiety and panic disorders.
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