What is fear?

Warmer: anatomy

Match the internal organs (1-6) with their main functions (A-F)

01: Lungs

02: Intestines

03: Pancreas

04: Kidneys

05: Heart

06: Liver

A: Filters waste and extra water from the blood to make urine.

B: Cleans the blood, makes important proteins, and helps digest food.

C: Takes in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the body.

D: Pumps blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients.

E: Absorbs nutrients from food and helps remove waste.

F: Helps digest food and controls blood sugar levels.

What does the brain do?

Do you know about the different parts of the brain?

Do you know any interesting facts about the brain?

Now read the text below.

Does it mention any of your ideas?

What is the brain?

The brain is the control center of the body, managing everything we think, feel, and do. It sends and receives signals to the rest of the body, controlling actions like breathing, heart rate, and movement. The brain is divided into different parts, each with a specific role.

The cerebrum is the largest part and is responsible for thinking, memory, emotions, and voluntary movements. The cerebellum, located at the back of the brain, controls balance and coordination, helping us walk, run, and move smoothly. The brainstem connects the brain to the spinal cord and regulates essential functions like breathing, heart rate, and sleep.

The brain has around 86 billion neurons, which are specialized cells that communicate with each other to carry out different tasks. Even though the brain is about 2% of your body weight, it uses around 20% of the body’s energy.

An interesting fact is that the brain constantly changes. It can adapt and create new connections between neurons, a process called neuroplasticity, which allows people to learn new skills and recover from injuries. The brain is also incredibly fast—messages between neurons travel at speeds up to 268 miles per hour, making it the most powerful and complex organ in the body.

Discussion:

Did the text mention any of your ideas?

What is the key difference between the two images? Which image best matches to our text?

How fascinated are you by this odd little organ that we all have in our heads?

Does it freak you out to know that we are all this buddy on the left?

Do you think there is a part of our identity that is NOT the brain?

Evolution

According to evolution, there should be some purpose, or rather benefit, to our physical nature - something that helps us, or rather our species, to survive. Famously, giraffes have long necks because it helps them to access more food, lions have big teeth and claws because it helps them to hunt and therefore eat, and so on and so forth.

There is, of course, no guiding hand in evolution. There is no overlord who is programming us to be a certain way. It's just that nature is brutal and lots of living things die. The things that survive pass on their traits to the next generation, and so over time, we discover that these traits are somehow advantageous.

So in most cases then, we should look at the human body and what it does and find some evolutionary advantage to it.

Emotions

This also means that our emotions are also NATURALLY SELECTED, i.e. they have some kind of evolutionary benefit that makes it more likely that we will reproduce. The obvious example is sexual desire. Animals that have a strong desire for sex are more likely to produce offspring.

Work with a partner, speculate about the evolutionary benefits of the following emotions:

fear

anger

happiness

sadness

disgust

love

shame

empathy

The evolutionary benefit of fear

Fear is an emotion that has played a crucial role in human survival throughout evolution. It triggers a “fight or flight” response, preparing the body to deal with danger. When we sense a threat, the brain releases stress hormones like adrenaline, which make our heart beat faster, increase blood flow to our muscles, and sharpen our senses. This response gives us the energy and focus needed to either fight the threat or escape from it.

From an evolutionary perspective, fear helped our ancestors avoid life-threatening situations. For example, fear of predators or dangerous environments would make early humans more cautious, increasing their chances of survival. Those who responded effectively to fear were more likely to survive and pass on their genes, making fear an essential part of human evolution.

Fear also has social benefits. It teaches us to avoid risky behaviors or environments, which helps protect communities. In addition, witnessing fear in others can serve as a warning signal, alerting others in the group to potential dangers.

While fear can sometimes be irrational, it remains a vital emotion that has evolved to protect us from harm, both as individuals and within a community, by helping us navigate the world safely.

Discussion:

Did the content of the text match your speculation?

Have you heard of this fight or flight response before?

The paragraph about social benefits is a little underdeveloped. Can you explain what this means, or give examples?

Do you think it's a contradiction that both fear and courage have been naturally selected? And is fear really the opposite of courage?

But how does this FEAR thing actually manifest??

How exactly does it work?

The emotion of fear begins in the brain, specifically in a part called the AMYGDALA, which is responsible for processing emotions, especially fear. When we encounter something potentially dangerous, like a loud noise or a threatening situation, the sensory information (what we see, hear, or feel) is sent to the amygdala. The amygdala quickly assesses whether the situation is dangerous and, if it perceives a threat, it triggers the body’s FIGHT OR FLIGHT response.

Once the amygdala detects danger, it sends signals to another part of the brain called the HYPOTHALAMUS, which controls the release of stress hormones like ADRENALINE and CORTISOL. These hormones prepare the body to react by increasing heart rate, raising blood pressure, and sending more blood to the muscles. This happens almost instantly, before we even have time to think.

At the same time, the PREFRONTAL CORTEX, which is the part of the brain responsible for thinking and decision-making, processes the situation more slowly. This is when we start to consciously assess the danger and decide how to respond—whether to fight, flee, or handle the situation in another way.

Reactions

"Wow! The human body is so amazing! Our brains are so smart and efficient and they do all of these amazing and wonderful things automatically - it's almost magical!"

"Wait! So my brain is just doing things robotically, and these things heavily influence my decisions? Am I just a biological robot? This is a bit creepy!"

Discussion

Did you have any of these reactions while reading the text?

How familiar are you with the terms in CAPS in the text? Are all of these words similar / the same in your language? (they are, of course, Latin / Greek)

Apart from it being a bit interesting, is there any value in lay people understanding how the brain produces different emotions?