The Psychology of Fear With Richard Dawkins - Halloween Special

Описание: Richard Dawkins is a renowned evolutionary biologist. He explains the evolutionary mechanisms involved in the psychology of fear.
Richard Dawkins is perhaps most famously known for his work on the selfish gene.
In humans and other animals, fear is modulated by the process of cognition and learning. Thus fear is judged as rational or appropriate and irrational or inappropriate. An irrational fear is called a phobia.

But why do have irrational fears in the first place? Why should our brains be equipped to trigger an overwhelming emotional response to a perceived danger which may not be a threat? Are there any evolutionary benefits in the belief of the supernatural?

Richard Dawkins mentions how evolutionary arm's races between predator and prey can give rise to the complex mechanisms involved in the emotion of fear.

In a world of incomplete information, our ancestors constantly faced situations of mortal danger. If you are walking the savanna in the plains of Africa, where you know there could be dangerous predators hiding to prey on you, and you suddenly hear a rustle in the grass, you can not afford to wait around and investigate the situation thoroughly. You have to make a fast decision and act quickly.

Facing a situation of incomplete information, our brain fills in the gaps and creates a story of a malevolent agent that's out to get us.

Sociological and organizational research suggests that individuals' fears are not solely dependent on their nature but are also shaped by their social relations and culture, which guide their understanding of when and how much fear to feel.

Fear is a basic survival mechanism, present in animals since their earliest evolution. It is a natural response of the body to danger that has a very old evolutionary history, and is found in almost all animals.

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Sources:    • The pattern behind self-deception | Michae...  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear
   • Richard Dawkins Lecture on Evolution