There is nothing more stimulating than a good scare. In fact, all humans share the very same reaction when someone else has frightened them: they carry out a startle response. This is a defensive mechanism comprised by a set of actions, a pattern that could be defined as a stereotyped behaviour. I didn’t make this up; the Guardian recently interviewed a Dr Daniel Glaser, director of Science Gallery at King’s College London. He said that Halloween creates the perfect, controlled, safe atmosphere so people can enjoy being scared and they can benefit from the advantages of being startled.
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A key factor when talking about fear is context. The context can be the difference between a rush or being terrified. Our brain has two spheres: one is all about emotions and the other is all about rational thoughts. So, the brain is in charge of telling the difference between a dangerous situation and a safe, controlled situation.
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Contextual information can make us believe we are safe near a lion. We just need to be at a zoo and be watching the lion on its cage. See? The zoo and the cage are contextual information that the rational part of our brain analysed. That way, our brain could reassure us that we are in no danger, in spite of being close to a lion.
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1-Fear can create a distraction or make us thinks of something else
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2-Emotions can be contagious
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3-Fear gives you some extra energy
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4-Fear helps us to put some distance regarding things we are not ready to do yet or to experience
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5-Managing fear increases your emotional intelligence
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So now you can rest assured that your Halloween activities will pay off : )
Hope you enjoyed Halloween and that you were able to amuse yourself and be scared!
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