Fear and Loathing in Elmhurst Burst

March 7, 2010

I am recovering from laughter. This evening my roommate was cleaning the bathroom and she thought that I had gone to bed, but I called out to her and she nearly jumped three feet into the air. Her fear made me laugh so hard that I nearly wet myself! Although I did think to myself, instead of laughing I could have been nursing a fat lip – what if her response to fear was to punch me in the face? So, today’s question is: what are the common responses to fear?

A:
The purpose of fear is to promote survival and fear response is almost entirely automatic. Fear is created as a chain reaction in the brain. It begins with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause the physiological changes in the body triggering the fight-or-flight response.

There are two paths involved in the fear response: The low road is quick and messy, while the high road takes more time and delivers a more precise interpretation of events. Both processes are happening simultaneously. The high road is much more thoughtful. While the low road is initiating the fear response just in case, the high road is considering all of the options.

The physiological responses can be:

• heart rate and blood pressure increase
• pupils dilate to take in as much light as possible
• veins in skin constrict to send more blood to major muscle groups (responsible for the "chill" sometimes associated with fear -- less blood in the skin to keep it warm)
• blood-glucose level increases
• muscles tense up, energized by adrenaline and glucose (responsible for goose bumps -- when tiny muscles attached to each hair on surface of skin tense up, the hairs are forced upright, pulling skin with them)
• smooth muscle relaxes in order to allow more oxygen into the lungs
• nonessential systems (like digestion and immune system) shut down to allow more energy for emergency functions
• trouble focusing on small tasks (brain is directed to focus only on big picture in order to determine where threat is coming from)

All of these physical responses are intended to help you survive a dangerous situation by preparing you to either run for your life or fight for your life - thus the term "fight or flight".

Sources:

How Stuff Works: Fear

Wikipedia: Fear

Source URL: https://policfashion2011.blogspot.com/search/label/phyiscality
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Doppelgänger

February 1, 2010

For those of you on some obscure social networking site, called Facebook, there has been a trend called doppelgänger going around. Individuals are being encouraged to replace their profile pictures with photos of celebrities that they resemble. Since I have been told that I look like Norah Jones, I participated in this fad and put her picture in place of mine. When I did that, it struck me that we do look quite similar and it led me to think of this past Friday, when a shopkeeper asked me if I was of Indian decent – which is Norah’s ethnicity. Additionally, I had two friends who I have seen recently tell me that I looked fabulous in my new photo. It gave me a good chuckle. Today’s question is: what does doppelgänger mean?

A: Doppelgänger is German meaning double-walker or look-alike, and is defined as a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its fleshly counterpart. It is used to describe the sensation of having glimpsed oneself in peripheral vision where there is no presence of mirrors. If one’s friends or family spots a doppelgänger it is an omen of illness or death. Generally, doppelgängers are bringers of bad luck.

All I can say is that I hope I never meet Norah Jones. But perhaps we don't look that similar really, it could just be the lost, wide-eyed looks that we both have. What do you think?


Norah Jones

Me

Sources:
Dictionary.com: Doppelgänger
Wikipedia: Doppelgänger
Source URL: https://policfashion2011.blogspot.com/search/label/phyiscality
Visit Police Fashion for daily updated images of art collection