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How often do you act out of fear?

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  • How often do you act out of fear?

    After recently reading some research that suggested that people with a conservative political orientation respond more to fear than liberals and have a larger amygdala (part of the brain that responds to fear) than liberals, it makes me wonder how often different people experience fear in their everyday lives and change their behavior as a result.

    As I think through my own life, I really struggle to think of many times I have felt sufficient fear to alter my behavior.

    I can think of two times where I was walking through particular areas that made me feel physically unsafe due to potential crime and so I left them quickly, and once when I decided not to go into an area that had a bad reputation because I'd heard it was unsafe. Unfortunately, my area was hit by some large earthquakes (which collapsed some buildings and killed some people) several years ago and had many hundreds of aftershocks, and so for a while it was particularly scary whenever an aftershock hit because you'd never be sure whether this would be the big one that collapsed the building you were in. So for a while I was careful always to keep my cellphone with me (in the event that the building collapsed and I needed to call for help from under the rubble), and be a bit careful about what sort of buildings I was in. Also, I have a general fear of heights (although flying in a plane doesn't bother me) so I avoid the edges of cliffs or looking over the edge of stairwells that go down multiple stories in tall buildings.

    Overall, in the average week, I would say the number of times I alter my behavior due to a fear for my physical safety would be zero on average.

    What about you guys? You don't have to give any details, but how often would you say in an average week or month you would alter you behavior due to a fear for your physical safety?

    Perhaps when walking home you go the long way rather than a short way to avoid an unsafe area? Perhaps you sometimes carry a gun for personal protection? Perhaps you drive rather than walk because you wouldn't feel safe walking? Perhaps there's somewhere you would have visited, but didn't, because you felt unsafe? Perhaps you avoid certain behaviors because of the potential for catching disease?

    Overall, how often would you say that fear about your physical safety causes a behavioral change in your life?
    "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
    "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
    "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

  • #2
    When I was thinking about your question (Overall, how often would you say that fear about your physical safety causes a behavioral change in your life?)
    I would have to say not very much. I really don't have a lot of fear. I mean, I will lock my doors in my house, and if I'm out at night I watch my surroundings but to me that's just being wise.

    Comment


    • #3
      Gah. Right. This is another troll to insult conservatives.

      Starlight, looking back and comparing when Obama was elected and when Trump was elected, which group completely overreacted? Coming up with conspiracy theories and witch hunts? Rioting in the streets, tearing down confederate statues? punching "nazis"? burning cars? getting offended at every perceived slight? Needing safe spaces and trophies? Wanting to ban guns?

      Liberals. The entire platform is based on fear. Feeling it and instilling it. All the time while calling it "tolerance"

      The "study" is nothing but plain propaganda BS.
      Last edited by Sparko; 03-22-2018, 07:14 AM.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Starlight View Post
        What about you guys? You don't have to give any details, but how often would you say in an average week or month you would alter you behavior due to a fear for your physical safety?
        Frequently. Invariably while driving.
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        • #5
          Eh, I generally lock my house when I leave, and lock my car when there's something valuable in it or I'm leaving it in a parking lot all day, and tend to limit my speed while driving so as to avoid getting a ticket, but those are arguably more out of financial reasons than fear.

          If I lived in a state of fear, I'd move; I routinely take public transportation through the worst section of DC in order to get to and from work.
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          • #6
            The question is making me think...I don't think I act out of fear very often. I lock my doors and my car, but I've never thought of that as done out of fear (maybe it is...?). I actually had (expired now) a concealed carry permit but had never used it, partly because I've never felt afraid enough for my safety to feel the need.
            I DENOUNCE DONALD J. TRUMP AND ALL HIS IMMORAL ACTS.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Sparko View Post
              Gah. Right. This is another troll to insult conservatives.

              Starlight, looking back and comparing when Obama was elected and when Trump was elected, which group completely overreacted? Coming up with conspiracy theories and witch hunts? Rioting in the streets, tearing down confederate statues? punching "nazis"? burning cars? getting offended at every perceived slight? Needing safe spaces and trophies? Wanting to ban guns?

              Liberals. The entire platform is based on fear. Feeling it and instilling it. All the time while calling it "tolerance"

              The "study" is nothing but plain propaganda BS.
              Even if we look at it as an accurate, unbiased result it is far too general to say much of significance. Fear may be a positive in many situations, and not feeling such fear may be a negative. The context of the fear has far too much significance on the evaluation of the reaction. Fear may be the most intelligent response in many of the situations in which it arises. While it is nothing but a troll, it could indicate the most rational response to a situation.
              Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Jedidiah View Post
                Even if we look at it as an accurate, unbiased result it is far too general to say much of significance. Fear may be a positive in many situations, and not feeling such fear may be a negative. The context of the fear has far too much significance on the evaluation of the reaction. Fear may be the most intelligent response in many of the situations in which it arises. While it is nothing but a troll, it could indicate the most rational response to a situation.
                Liberalism likes to take any disagreement with some issue as "fear" - thus terms like Homophobia if you thing homosexuality is a sin or are against gay marriage. Or Islamaphobia if you are against unfettered muslim immigration.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Starlight View Post
                  After recently reading some research that suggested that people with a conservative political orientation respond more to fear than liberals and have a larger amygdala (part of the brain that responds to fear) than liberals, it makes me wonder how often different people experience fear in their everyday lives and change their behavior as a result.

                  As I think through my own life, I really struggle to think of many times I have felt sufficient fear to alter my behavior.

                  I can think of two times where I was walking through particular areas that made me feel physically unsafe due to potential crime and so I left them quickly, and once when I decided not to go into an area that had a bad reputation because I'd heard it was unsafe. Unfortunately, my area was hit by some large earthquakes (which collapsed some buildings and killed some people) several years ago and had many hundreds of aftershocks, and so for a while it was particularly scary whenever an aftershock hit because you'd never be sure whether this would be the big one that collapsed the building you were in. So for a while I was careful always to keep my cellphone with me (in the event that the building collapsed and I needed to call for help from under the rubble), and be a bit careful about what sort of buildings I was in. Also, I have a general fear of heights (although flying in a plane doesn't bother me) so I avoid the edges of cliffs or looking over the edge of stairwells that go down multiple stories in tall buildings.

                  Overall, in the average week, I would say the number of times I alter my behavior due to a fear for my physical safety would be zero on average.

                  What about you guys? You don't have to give any details, but how often would you say in an average week or month you would alter you behavior due to a fear for your physical safety?

                  Perhaps when walking home you go the long way rather than a short way to avoid an unsafe area? Perhaps you sometimes carry a gun for personal protection? Perhaps you drive rather than walk because you wouldn't feel safe walking? Perhaps there's somewhere you would have visited, but didn't, because you felt unsafe? Perhaps you avoid certain behaviors because of the potential for catching disease?

                  Overall, how often would you say that fear about your physical safety causes a behavioral change in your life?
                  I'm about the same, except for a fear of earthquakes (although I am very good at sensing earthquakes, I've done it twice for very minor earthquakes nobody around me noticed only to hear there had been an earthquake on the news). I think fear of heights is mostly the product of exposure. When I was a kid I was exposed to it a lot (lived on 4th floor with balcony, climbed on roof of apartment buildings with other kids). When I moved to canada we lived on the second floor of a 3 story building, I actually jumped out the window once, so I spent years without exposure. Nowadays I don't even like climbing stairs with gaps between steps that let you see the floor below.
                  "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12

                  There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                    Gah. Right. This is another troll to insult conservatives.
                    Maybe. I've seen this research before, and I interpret them as liberals having a dysfunctional amygdala that makes it difficult for them to adequately perceive incoming threats. A smaller amygdala is also associated with atheism IIRC. To me it seems obvious that having a dulled sense of anything is a disadvantage and that fear is unpleasant but not inherently bad.
                    "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12

                    There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Ps 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?
                      That's what
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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
                        Ps 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?
                        And, what time I am afraid, I will trust in Him.

                        I experience fear occasionally, but I recognizes it's "part of living", and don't allow it to control me. Many years ago, I began training myself even to remove "fear" from my vocabulary... like, instead of "I'm afraid that....." I say "I'm concerned that...."
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                          instead of "I'm afraid that....." I say "I'm concerned that...."
                          I recall seeing hearing someone claim that a lot of people do change their language in this sort of way as they age, so children will say "I'm afraid of X" whereas adults will say "I don't like X".

                          Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
                          Ps 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?
                          Some people might cynically say that perhaps religion is thus attractive for particularly fearful people, and that the idea of God offers to them a form of fear alleviation.

                          D.E. also suggested the brains of atheists had smaller fear activity. This article claims:
                          In their findings, the researchers said subjects who perceive a supernatural agent at work in their daily lives tend to use brain pathways associated with the regulation of fear when asked to contemplate their religious beliefs.
                          So people who think about God's actions in their daily life do seem to be thinking about how God's protecting them from things they fear.

                          Whereas the same study suggested atheists were using quite different parts of their brain:
                          However, non-religious subjects tend to use pathways associated with visual imagery when they contemplate religion, according to the study.

                          Deshpande said those finding suggest subjects with a greater capacity to imagine visual images are less likely to be religious.
                          I would say that's an apt description of how I personally think - I am quite a visually imaginative person and when I think about religion it is indeed the case that a series of images run through my head (of Jesus doing things in the gospels, the crucifixion, resurrection, Paul on his missionary trips, God in his throne room, angels, scenes in everyday life and how they might be different if supernatural intervention happened etc).
                          "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
                          "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
                          "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                            Liberalism likes to take any disagreement with some issue as "fear" - thus terms like Homophobia if you thing homosexuality is a sin or are against gay marriage. Or Islamaphobia if you are against unfettered muslim immigration.
                            As discussed previously with you on this site, the -phobia ending need not convey emotional things like fear, as "hydrophobic" surfaces repel water but are not emotional in their nature. Nor, in any language, does a suffix fully dictate word meaning - each individual word takes on a life of its own and gains or loses its own meanings based on usage.

                            In English, a person who discriminates on sex is "sexist" and on race is "racist" and on sexuality is "homophobic" and on Islamic beliefs is "islamaphobic". English is stupidly inconsistent and this is one of those times. If you like you can try and promote a new word of "sexualist" to replace "homophobic", but "islamist" is already taken with another meaning so I don't know how you'd change "islamaphobic".

                            This is not a case of liberals making up words to make conservatives look bad, so get over your ridiculous persecution complex!
                            "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
                            "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
                            "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

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                            • #15
                              The -phobia ending was not introduced by progressives to clarify language, it was introduced to falsely paint opponents as irrational. So it's not really the same case as this scenario.
                              "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12

                              There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

                              Comment

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