You see a snake while hiking!Your heart is racing,your hands feel like ice,and you breathe faster to take in more air.You are experiencing an important emotion:fear.
Some scientists believe we are born with fear:the fear of falling and loud sounds.But we learn most fear.We are scared of snakes after a certain experience,like being bitten,or seeing other people bitten by a snake.Another way to learn fear is from the spoken words or written notes.We may not know that a snake is scary,until our parents say snakes are dangerous.What's more,fear can be catching.When we see our friends cry,we will be influenced by them.
But where does fear come from?It starts in a part of the brain called the amygdala.The amygdala receives what we see,hear or smell and finds out how much it stands out to us.It then tells the heart to beat faster and the body to sweat.Another part of the brain called the hippocampus is closely connected with the amygdala.It helps the brain read the possible danger and find out whether the danger is real.Seeing a lion in the wild can cause strong fear,but the sight of the same lion at a zoo only brings us fun and the thought that the lion is cute.This is because the hippocampus is telling us there's no need to worry about it.So,we feel less afraid when signals(信号) from the hippocampus overpower(胜过) the amygdala.
Actually,no one is fearless.Brave people still feel fear like everyone else—the difference is in how they handle it.People who work in dangerous jobs,like firemen,learn to manage their fear by practicing.In this way,they can act automatically(自动地) in dangerous situations,although they might be really scared at that time.They are also able to quiet their fear because they believe they have the knowledge to solve the problem.
Fear is a natural human emotion that we all experience.We should learn about it and live with it.