this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2024
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Showerthoughts

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It's weird that we enjoy stimulating our fear response (lemmy.ca)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by [email protected] to c/showerthoughts
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What would aliens think if they leaned we evolved fear as a survival mechanism, but we intentionally seek out situations that trigger our fear response, for fun?

Horror movies, extreme sports, thrill-seeking, it's all weird.

Edit
Changed the title and added an extra line to make it clear I'm talking about the fear response, and not specifically about extreme sports

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (5 children)

I don't think it's weird - we're animals, mammals and hunters no less, and animals play. If we have unstimulated instincts and free time, we find ways to exercise them

It's kind of like the zoomies or play fighting, it's just built into our design, for one reason or another

Now, aliens might come here and be fascinated how Earth vertebrates can even function, assuming this isn't a common thing. But I'm guessing our social behaviors will be more mind boggling

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (3 children)

But specifically fear instincts seems strange. It makes sense to us because we're us, but look at it more clinically: we seek out to stimulate the instinct that keeps us safe. That means that it'd doing the exact opposite of its purpose. If we seek to stimulate our fear, that means we seek to put ourselves in situations where fear is a reasonable response, which is exactly what fear was evolved to prevent.
How did this behavior develop, and how did we survive once it did?

[–] negativeyoda 0 points 5 months ago

Before we figured out tools and became apex predators we were prey animals... we're SUPPOSED to be nervous and scared because that's what kept us alive. Some people have speculated that this is why in aggregate humans are prone to being spiteful, destructive, bored, and shitty

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