Fear and Phobias 1

Running Head: FEAR AND PHOBIAS

Why I Don’t Drive: The Brain Chemistry, Brain Psychology, and Sociology Behind Fears and
Phobias
Maggie Nuckols
Glen Allen High School
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Introduction

Throughout all of human history, people have been decided on one thing: that people are

innately motivated by a fight or flight response. As society has matured, we’ve learned to labeled

this feeling as fear. Especially in modern day societies, there is a prevalent problem of levels of

fear and phobias rising with no signs of stopping. Because of multiple life events, such as the

“Century of Fear,” and new scientific findings on brain chemistry, including the full fear body

system and new neurological backing studies, we understand fear and phobias better than ever,

but not why they are rising. Scientists, researchers, sociologists, and neurologists agree that it

has to do with social changes and important anatomical and neurological systems. Really, it’s a

whole mix of all of the above.

Background Information

Fear itself is described as “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or

something is a threat, dangerous, or can and will cause harm” (Oxford Dictionary). People are no

strangers to fear, in fact some people experience them on an incontrollable level. According to

the Gale Medical Journal entry on phobias, 18% of Americans have a phobia that interferes with

their everyday life (Turkington, 2011). Phobias are “intense but unrealistic fears that can

interfere with the ability to socialize, work, or go about everyday life, brought on by an object,

event, or situation” (Turkington, 2011). The most common are various forms of social phobias,

which result from deep fears of being embarrassed in public, while specific phobias are likely to

occur in about one out of every ten Americans (Turkington, 2011).

The importance lies in the debate of phobias versus fear. Both are highly undesired, but

more commonly, people are able to live in a state of fear over a constantly pressing phobia.
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Phobias are specific fears that may branch out of a traumatic event or developed, escalating fear,

and interfere with everyday life. Fear is a onetime event. You feel fear when getting on a roller

coaster; you feel fear when you almost fall down the stairs. It’s a rush of emotion of terror or

feeling of imminent danger. Phobias are fear, experienced every day of the patient’s life. It is the

same fear feelings, but they aren’t a singular occurrence. They prevent a person from doing

things vital to everyday life, even though they know they shouldn’t be scared in those moments

(Turkington, 2011). This is also important to note because it leads to an understanding and

differentiation as to how people operate with a phobia versus how people operate feeling normal

fear.

Brain Chemistry and Neurology

All of the symptoms of phobias and feelings of fear have to come from somewhere. One

aspect of their origin is the brain and the body. Contrary to popular belief, the amygdala is not

the fear center of the brain. Instead, leading fear neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux suggests that

three things have to happen in tandem for the body to feel fear. First, the chemicals in the brain,

such as norepinephrine and serotonin, and the hormones in the body, like adrenalin and cortisol,

must be increased and secreted (LeDoux, 2015). This is where the amygdala comes in. The

amygdala is the part of the brain that sends out the signal for these chemicals and hormone levels

to go up (LeDoux, 2015). Then, once the levels of chemicals and hormones increase, the body

searches to find out what environmental stimuli is causing the upward shift (LeDoux, 2015).

LeDoux describes it as, “attention systems in the neocortex guid[ing] the perceptual search in the

environment for an explanation for the highly aroused state” (2015). Finally, once “the meaning

of the environmental stimuli present is added to the retrieval of memories” and those memories
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prove to be somehow related to danger, the “fear schema” takes over, allowing the body to feel

fear (LeDoux, 2015).

Because there is new information to suggest that fear and phobias are a result of memory

retrieval, this suggests why normal, everyday things like a friend pulling a prank or a scary

movie don’t truly scare someone, they just shock them because they don’t have thoughts that

truly cause fear; they know they’re really safe. This also suggests why phobias are so significant.

Because fear is directly connected to memories, usually startling or tragic ones, they are

significant enough to take control over lives. Take a patient with a fear of planes that originated

from a family member passing away in the 9/11 plane crash. Because their fear schema pulls up

memories of danger and harm when they think about boarding a plane, they have a phobia of

flying. Left untreated, this also suggests why fears can develop into phobias or how phobias

really get more intense. A scientific study on fear recall in adults and adolescents suggests the

scientific reasoning to back the schema addition theory. According to the study, when memories

are pulled from the amygdala, they are brought to the forefront of the brain (Nader, 2000). Once

they are there, they are in a vulnerable state, subject to manipulation and shifting. The study

directly describes it as being how consolidated fear memories that are being “reactivated during

retrieval” go back to being malleable and changeable before returning to long-term memory

storage in the brain (Nader, 2000).

Another study, done in 2017 by neurologists Ganella, Barendse, Kim, and Whittle, also

supports the same thesis. Their study mostly compares anxiety and fear recall in adolescents to

adults. The study found that adolescents, especially with anxiety disorders, have underdeveloped

“ventromedial prefrontal cortex,” the part of the brain where memories are called up during the

schema in the accommodation portion of fear (Ganella, 2017). Their research suggests why
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levels are increasing. Because teenagers have lesser developed prefrontal cortexes, they are more

likely to have fear memories manipulated and changed, usually in ways that make the thing

feared more extreme or difficult to deal with. This already poor brain development flaw is then

paired with the access to a constant stream of media and lifestyles that reinstate certain ideas for

teenagers.

Another aspect that plays a role in fear is that there is a very distinct age and gender

differentiation in people who have higher levels in fears and phobias. Phobias are usually

diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 30, based on which one you have, but can occur earlier or

later. They are two to three times more likely to occur in females rather than males, and they are

occasionally passed down through genetics. They are also incredibly comorbid, being linked

especially to social, personality, and anxiety disorders (Turkington, 2011). Because more and

more teenagers are being diagnosed with social disorders and anxiety disorders, psychologists,

doctors, and neurologists are also seeing an increase in phobias and in turn fear. This

comorbidity has a direct line of correlation to the epidemic of rising fear levels. However, a big

positive for this specific problem of comorbidity also points scientists and neurologists to how

we can approach treatment for fear and phobias. Instead of targeting purely fear treatments, there

is a chance that some anxiety and social disorder treatments might work as well.

Sociology and Psychology

While there are proven scientific reasons for fear and phobia manifestation in people and

animals, there is also sociological reasoning for the prevalence of fear in society, especially

during key moments of “fear centuries” (Furedi, 2005). Sociologist Frank Furedi coined the

name of the fear century, saying that September 11, 2001 is the first day of the “Century of Fear”

in America (2005). He went on to say that time is marked by key moments of fear, citing
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Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 as his prime examples (Furedi, 2005). Sociologists have found that

after terrorist attacks and natural disasters, there is a spike of increased anxiety levels in societies

(Furedi, 2005). Furthermore, the mere thought of a threat instills fear in people and in fact

amplifies the hazard (Furedi, 2005). While the scientific factors of fear are important, especially

when it comes to treatment, many argue that the social factors are the main driving force in the

drastic increase in fear levels. Because the “Century of Fear” began in 2001, if we follow the

theory that Furedi proposed, we’ve only seen the beginning of a time period flooded with fear.

It’s because this part of history has been instigated that we are facing an increase in fear; there

was a trigger that set the whole thing off.

There’s also a trend in parenting and thought forming methods. The “Don’t Be a Hero”

culture is also developed with this new society people are living and raising children in (Furedi,

2015). Parents and caretakers alike are being shown to be hyper-sensitive to danger and threat as

a result of the “Culture of Fear.” In their minds, there is a direct correlation between risk and

fear. However, it’s not one that is technically correct, but instead is a side effect of memory

retrieval. Because risk is now equivalent to danger (some even as little as not wearing a helmet

or walking to school alone), Americans associate risk with irresponsibility, irresponsibility with a

lack of safety, a lack of safety with danger, and danger with fear. It’s a chain reaction that really

cannot be stopped at the projection the modern world is following (Furedi, 2015). Furedi

believes we live in fear of the unknown, of risk and danger, because we are overstimulated and

over-informed, which supports the idea that fear levels are increasing as time passes and society

and its technology and media continues to develop. As a people, we are constantly plugged in,

and have a problem with having too much access to media and news. We are essentially digging

ourselves a deeper, bigger, wider hole.

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This also supports the reason why FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out has become such a

significant pillar in peoples’ everyday lives. It’s essentially a less intense version of a social

phobia, which has been stimulated with an increase of social media, accessible technology for

contact, and with a constant need to be in community with other people, rather than in person or

online. People who experience FOMO on a daily level live in a constant form of social anxiety,

needing to preform and fit in, which in turn leads to trends, fads, and groupthink, and the fear

that one might potentially be left out (Furedi, 2015; Turkington, 2011). Because FOMO is such a

modern concept, it is one of the best examples of why the modern world is so knee-deep in fear

all of the time, and especially highlights the underlying contemporary tones within the recent rise

of fear.

This sociological perspective of fear focuses mainly on two questions: who should we

fear and who should we blame (Furedi, 2005). Because “western societies have a weak sense of

shared meaning” and so respond to threats in ways that isolate us from our peers, we actually

give our fears character and materialize them (Furedi, 2005). Studies have shown that language

that elevates fears and creates powerlessness has become more and more commonplace in

American society (Furedi, 2005). Words like plague, epidemic, and syndrome are only a couple

of the most common ones. However, one of the most significant social findings that relate to fear

show that most westernized countries, and Americans specifically, tend to use tragedies as “fear

stimulators” instead of “life motivators” (Furedi, 2005). This, mixed with up incoming fear

centuries, is one of the big reasons why fear levels are increasing and why people, Americans

especially, are living in a world cultivated by fear.

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Overall, fear actually is a more modernized, capitalized on concept than ever before. Fear

has always been around, but unrealistic fears, paralyzing phobias, and manipulated beliefs are

specific to this day in age – the 21st century.

Treatment, Outcomes, and Conclusion

Direct treatments are used mostly when the fear becomes too frequent or too intense to be

dealt with on a personal level. They include different methods, including psychotherapy and

drugs, with less successful but important home remedy supplements. Psychotherapy approaches

vary, but some specific examples include cognitive-behavioral therapy, desensitization, and

flooding (Turkington, 2011). Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches individuals how to change

their thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes towards their fears through calming techniques that lessen

anxiety (Turkington, 2011). Desensitization is better known as exposure therapy and is

successful three fourths of the time (Turkington, 2011). Flooding is a less common approach, but

is basically desensitization, instead with flooding, the exposure is not gradual, but full subjection

to the source of the fear all at once (Turkington, 2011).

When psychotherapy is not successful, drugs are oftentimes used. Some drugs used

include benzodiazepines such as diazepam, beta-blockers like propranolol, and antidepressants

such as citalopram and fluoxetine (Turkington, 2011). Drug treatment is based on age, the

severity of the phobia, and other physical and mental disorders that might be in play for the

patient (Turkington, 2011).

Also, with recent developments in the studies behind comorbidity, especially as it relates

to stress and anxiety in the face of fear, it has been suggested that medicating a comorbid

disorder will help lessen the severity of the symptoms of fears and phobias. There are four types
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of treatment when comorbidity comes into play: integrated, sequential, parallel, and single

diagnosis. Integrated treatment is the “treatment of comorbid disorders at the same time;”

sequential treatments are “treatments of one disorder, then the other;” parallel treatments are

“treatment of each disorder, but in separate treatments;” and single diagnosis is when one

disorder is treated but not the other (International Society, 2018). For treatment of fear symptoms

and comorbidity, integrated, sequential, and parallel treatments are the most ideal, while single

diagnosis is not the preferred method.

However, usually, drugs do not have to be used, as home remedies such as eliminating

caffeine and alcohol, healthy eating and exercise, and reducing as much stress as possible will do

the trick (Turkington, 2011). Especially for phobias and for people who experience an abnormal

amount of fear, normal, healthy lifestyles can help control symptoms. Things such as creating a

mental safe place, finding trustworthy people to talk to, and especially maintaining a usual daily

routine with plenty of sleep and healthy meals, can help people manage their fear symptoms,

especially if they are linked to other disorders (Greenberg, 2012).

At the same time, there are societal differences we need to make as well. The national

levels of fear are rising, so it has no longer become an individual problem, it’s a national

problem. There are a couple ways societies can do this. Frank Furedi coined the idea of new

intense language that directly contributes to the societal problem with rising fear levels. We now

use words like “plague,” “epidemic,” and “syndrome,” which all elevate the intensity and yes,

fear, in matters that are not on that high of a level (2015). For example, a well-placed BBC news

article titled “Ebola: Mapping the Outbreak,” does nothing to cause any relief from the mass,

international hysteria surrounding the disease. In reality, only one person in the United States

died from a case of Ebola, even though everybody was scared they were going to contract and
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die from the disease. This type of language also associates menial things with high profile

occurrences such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Furedi says that to combat an

overwhelming feel of societal hopelessness that feeds fear, we need to look at tragedies not as

fear stimulators, but as life motivators, and to stop putting so much pressure on things that do not

require the intensity (2015). This leads directly to the idea that as a society, it is our

responsibility to cool down and to take some of the intense nation-wide feelings of fear and focus

and turn them into something productive, rather than something destructive. Sure there is a

general trend in people’s bodies reacting in a way that suggests a biological reason for increased

levels of fear, but it is also important to socially lighten the burden of unnecessary national fear if

we really want to see levels decrease.

Fear has also become a “free-floating thing right in front of your eyes” (Furedi, 2015).

For society to truly lower levels of fear in its members, we need to acknowledge that and try to

move towards a world where we can take it back to being an ideological concept. As a society,

we are preparing for the unpredictable worst instead of expecting the similarly unpredictable best

(Furedi, 2015). In order to bring society back to a model of supporting each other and being able

to walk out in confidence and not fear, we need to reevaluate our media access and consumption.

The “Century of Fear” is marked by a time period where technology and media were on a sharp

rise, meaning that sociologists have seen a direct correlation to media accessibility and fear. This

goes to support the reasons why fear is heavily a part of lives where people experience intense

FOMO and in people, especially adolescents, who are constantly connected to their phones and

in turn to the global media. Take the Manchester concert bombing in 2017. A total of nineteen

people were killed with an additional 59 injured. Or the Vegas concert shooting in 2017. 58

people died and an additional 851 were left injured. After these horrific incidents, security
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skyrocketed, leaving people standing in a metal detector line scared for not reason. Over

precaution is effectively killing any mental security Americans have.

The fact of the matter is, if we continue to leave it alone, then the problem becomes

greater and greater and fear levels continue to rise. If we want to see a change, a real change, we

need to focus our efforts on two waves. One, calming the safety tensions in society, whether that

be socially or security-related. And we also need to look at the brain chemistry of patients who

experience fear, and try to help ease their pain in order to help alleviate a national, epidemic.

With both aspects working together, we can see a real difference being made.

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