Fearing crossing a bridge and looking down? You’re not the only one as acrophobia, or the fear of heights, came in number one in a 2023 YouGov Fears & Phobias survey with 23% of participants saying it affects them.
Around 21% reported that they feared spiders (arachnophobia). Even clowns scared 3% of those questioned.
In short, the majority of us fear something. But why?
Why do we have fears?
Well, the main reason for fears is down to survival. If, for instance, we didn’t fear poisonous spider in times gonen by, we’d sit there while it crawled all over us before deciding it was hungry and sinking its teeth into our relaxed bodies. Death would await, meaning we couldn’t pass on our genes.
Fear the spider and your breathing and heart rate increases, your bloodstream pumps your muscles with oxygen and away you scarper.
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While those of us in the UK incredibly rarely experience a dangerous spider, the outdated instinct remains. That’s because our biological fear is rooted in the brain, involving structures like the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex.
When a threat is detected, the amygdala activates the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, triggering these physiological changes. You're physically primed to react quickly if needed. But then your brain passes the information to the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate and contextualise fear responses, allowing for more adaptive behaviours in response to threats. Like, for 97% of us, not running from Krusty the Clown.
How can you overcome your fear?
So, fear is an evolutionary phenomenon, which means it’s not preordained; in other words, how can you overcome your fears?
Well, one of the most popular methods is ‘exposure therapy’. This is where you face gradual and repeated exposure to the source of your fear and then, with the help of a professional, retrain your thoughts, feelings and sensations to manage this anxiety.
For instance, if you fear being trapped in a lift, or cleithrophobia, your therapy may progress from thinking about entering the lift, to viewing pictures of lifts, to going near a lift, to stepping into a lift. You then may take the lift to floor one, then floor two and so on until you’re happily in a crowded lift. Technology plays a part, too, with virtual-reality units helping individuals do similar but in a more immersive, but safe, their setting.
The NHS also recommends techniques like lifestyle changes – regular exercise could lessen the symptoms – and attending a self-help group. Breathing exercises also help you to regain control of your out-of-control nervous system.
