The Fight or Flight Response
Physical and emotional reactions at the time of stress are common to every normal human being. These reactions are linked to an instinct that has been present within us since the days of our ancient ancestors - the instinct of survival. When we find ourselves in a threatening situation, our bodies secrete stress hormones, the best known of which is adrenaline. Increased levels of adrenaline in the bloodstream helped
prehistoric man enlist the energy necessary for "fight or flight". When increased levels of these hormones are present, our functioning may improve and we are capable of performing great physical feats with enormous speed and force, akin to those of competitive sports. Regrettably, when the stress hormones' level becomes too high, such as at the time of panic, our functioning may deteriorate.
Changes in the level of stress hormones have an immediate effect on our physical and emotional well-being. Imagine that you are reclining in a comfortable armchair and suddenly you hear a loud thud behind you. Instinctively you direct your gaze to the source of noise and your muscles tense up. In this type of situation, you are prepared, body and soul, to leap out of your chair and either fight or flee the source of noise. If you identify the noise-maker as a friend who played a trick on you, the level of the stress hormones decreases immediately and, as
a result, your feeling of physical and mental calm returns.
The "fight or flight" response can be compared to an outdated computer program that was burnt into the hard drive of computers at the beginning of the computer era. Through the years, many new and advanced programs have been added to that hard drive; however, the old program is still active in the background and from time to time it suddenly appears on the monitor. A person not versed in old computer programs may think - mistakenly - that the computer is out of order or "went crazy." He may be angry with the computer, disappointed with it and he may consult experts as to how to get the program off the monitor. To my regret, similar reactions are common in people suffering from
severe anxiety. People tend to get angry or become disappointed with themselves. Sometimes they suspect that they have contracted a physical
ailment or fear losing control of themselves.
The difficulties of modern man stem from the fact that the threats our ancestors encountered were completely different from those of our modern society. Most of the old threats came from predators; hence the "fight of flight" response was extremely efficient. On the other hand, most of today's threats come from stimuli which cannot be coped with
through the "fight or flight" response. Common "threats" of modern times are: an important exam, layoffs, a steep decline in the stock
market, social rejection, illness in the family or a crisis to a closed friend.
I have frequently been asked, "Why does the ancient instinct, which contributed to survival in the past, continue to be active in spite of its inefficiency?" The answer is that in the course of our eight million years of evolution, our gene pool preserved ancient instincts that once had been helpful. Ten thousand years of modern living have not provided enough time to change our genes. Our instincts are activated by
emotions, which are quick, and not by reasoning, which is slow. As a result, when the brain encounters the emotion of fear, whatever the
cause, it immediately interprets it as a threat from a predator. An example of instinct that did not change in time concerns the different
reactions very young children have to a gun and to a big toy lion in a threatening posture. Although in modern times guns kill many more
people than do lions, instinctively children will fear the lion more.
I have also been asked, "Why do some people experience high levels of anxiety much more than others do?" Two factors influence our reactions to stress: heredity and environment. On the heredity side, some people are overly cautious from birth. In ancient times, that trait greatly
contributed to their survival: as soon as such people heard the slightest noise they leaped up and climbed a tree. On the other hand, the brave ones, those who took chances, met their demise sooner. In modern times, we treat the overly cautious people with contempt and call them cowards, while we honor the brave ones.
In addition to heredity, traits are formed by upbringing and life experiences. People who lived through scary experiences may become very cautious and feel fear and anxiety when confronted with stimuli that are not scary to other people. For example, they may fear dogs, flying, closed spaces or high places.
Continuing our comparison of the survival instinct to an outdated computer program, let us now imagine pressing a few keys in the computer (brain) to remove the survival program (instinct) from the screen (mind). Before we learn how to do that, it is important to read the chapter:
"Anxiety Helped Survival.