Here's Something to Think About

[CogSpin]

OK, this is short, but interesting. You know when you hear some kind of sound effect. It might be some growl or "eerie" humming or something you consider scary. My question is: why are we suddenly afraid? I can understand if you knew the sound of a tiger, for example, and you were afraid of tigers, but what about when we hear something which we cannot relate to anything frightening we've seen before, yet we're scared of it?

[Texsk8er56]

well, actually good point. i cant descirbe

[Boltrig]

At 3/12/07 01:48 PM, Mr-Money wrote: OK, this is short, but interesting. You know when you hear some kind of sound effect. It might be some growl or "eerie" humming or something you consider scary. My question is: why are we suddenly afraid? I can understand if you knew the sound of a tiger, for example, and you were afraid of tigers, but what about when we hear something which we cannot relate to anything frightening we've seen before, yet we're scared of it?

Some sounds have a direct effect on the brain. Your concious thoughts have no control over it. thats why the hairs on your neck rise in situations of fear. Its an automatic response.

[Korriken]

At 3/12/07 02:07 PM, Asteraith wrote: Civilisation hasn't been around long enough for the instinct to die yet.

instict never dies out.

[deslona]

Any unfamiliar sound will make you look, as soon as it is identified you will either 'relax' or be more tense. These sounds will be put into your memory as 'good', 'bad or 'just a sound', (crude analogy I know)

If you don't know where or cannot guess what/where the sound is from. You will become increasingly agitated.
(think of a dark night and a rustle in the trees - you have no idea what it is)
(Or a talking sound behind you in a resturant - you will turn around to see *what/who* it is - even though you know it is a person)

[JudgeDredd]

At 3/13/07 09:49 AM, Korriken wrote:

At 3/12/07 02:07 PM, Asteraith wrote: Civilisation hasn't been around long enough for the instinct to die yet.

instict never dies out.

It weaker in some people. Facing the same situation different people react differently, despite their initial sixth-sense being above the threashold of attention, they still ignore it.

[gunground]

asterith is right. Instinct has alot to do with what were afraid of and why we get strange feelings of fear. Example: when you hear the scratching of a black board,why does that noise bug us so much?? Its proven that the reason we hate the sound was because,back when we were monkeys,the frequency emmited from the board,used to be the same frequencys we used to tell eachother when danger was near. THATS why we hate the dreaded sound.