Exactly why this panic disorder occurs in the first case is currently unknown, but there are several compelling theories. It could be the result of previous trauma suffered by the individual, as the brain hasn’t yet effectively dealt with the lasting issues caused. It might be to do with an excess or deficiency of particular neurotransmitters. A genetic component is possible, as those directly related to a panic disorder sufferer are more likely to experience it themselves.19 There is even a theory that sufferers are prone to catastrophic thinking; taking a minor physical issue or problem and worrying about it far beyond what it is even vaguely rational.20 It could be a combination of all these things, or something as yet undiscovered. The brain isn’t short of options when it comes to unreasonable fear response.
And finally, we have social anxieties. Or, if they’re so potent they become debilitating, social phobias. Social phobias are based on fear of negative reaction from other people—dreading your audience’s reaction to your karaoke, for instance. We don’t fear only hostility or aggression; simple disapproval is enough to stop us in our tracks. The fact that other people can be a powerful source of phobias is another example of how our brains use other humans to calibrate how we see the world and our position in it. As a result, the approval of others matters, often regardless of who they are. Fame is something millions of people strive for, and what is fame but the approval of strangers? We’ve already covered how egotistical the brain is, so maybe all famous people just crave mass approval? It’s a bit sad really (unless they’re a famous person who has praised this book).
Social anxieties occur when the brain’s tendency to predict and worry about negative outcomes is combined with the brain’s need for social acceptance and approval. Talking on the telephone means interacting without any of the usual cues present in person, so some people (like me) find it very difficult and we panic that we’ll offend or bore the other individual. Paying for groceries with a large line behind you can be nerve-racking as you’re technically delaying a lot of people who stare at you while you try to use your math skills working out the payment. These and countless similar situations allow the brain to work out ways in which you’ll annoy or frustrate others, earning negative opinions and causing embarrassment. It boils down to performance anxiety; the worry about getting things wrong in front of an audience.
Some people have no issues with this, but some have the opposite problem. How this comes about has a variety of explanations, but a study by Roselind Lieb found that parenting styles are associated with likelihood of developing anxiety disorders,21 and you can see the logic here. Overly critical parents can instill in a child a constant fear of upsetting a valuable authority figure for even minor actions, whereas overprotective parents can prevent a child from ever experiencing even minor negative consequences of actions, so when they’re older and away from parental protection and something they do does cause a negative outcome, they’re not used to it, so it affects them disproportionately, meaning they’ll be less able to deal with it and will be way more likely to fear it happening again. Even having the dangers of strangers drummed into you constantly from an early age can enhance your eventual fear of them to beyond-appropriate levels.
People experiencing these phobias often display avoidant behavior, where they actively avoid getting into any scenario where the phobic reaction could come into play.22 This may be good for peace of mind, but it’s bad for doing anything about the phobia in the long run; the more it’s avoided, the longer it stays potent and vivid in the brain. It’s a bit like papering over a mouse hole in your wall; it looks fine to the casual observer, but you’ve still got a rodent problem.
The available evidence suggests social anxieties and phobias are apparently the most common type of phobias.23 This isn’t surprising given the brain’s paranoid tendencies leading us to fear things that aren’t dangerous, and our reliance on approval from others. Put these two together, and we can end up unreasonably fearful of others having a negative opinion of our incompetence. For proof of this, consider the fact that this is the ninth tenth eleventh twelfth twenty-eighth draft I’ve done of this conclusion. And, yes, I’m still sure loads of people won’t like it.
Don’t have nightmares . . . unless you’re into that sort of thing.
(Why people like being scared and actively seek it out)
Why do so many people literally jump at the chance to risk smearing themselves over the unforgiving ground in pursuit of fleeting excitement? Think of base jumpers, bungee jumpers, parachutists. Everything we’ve learned so far shows the brain’s drive for self-preservation and how that results in nervousness, avoidance behavior, and so on. Yet authors such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz write books featuring fear-inducing supernatural occurrences and brutal, violent deaths of characters and they are raking it in. They have sold nearly a billion books between them. The Saw franchise, a showcase for the most inventive and gory ways in which humans can be prematurely killed for obscure reasons, currently numbers seven films, all of which were shown in cinemas worldwide rather than sealed in lead containers and launched into the sun. We tell each other scary stories around the campfire, we ride ghost trains, visit haunted houses, dress up as the walking dead at Halloween to extract sweets from neighbors. So how do we explain our enjoyment of these entertainments, some of which are aimed at children no less, that depend on us being scared?
Coincidentally, the thrill of fear and the gratification gained from sweets are both likely to be dependent on the same brain region. This is the mesolimbic pathway, often known as the mesolimbic reward pathway or the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, because it is responsible for the brain’s sensation of reward, and it uses dopamine neurons to do it. It is one of several circuits and pathways that mediate reward, but it is largely acknowledged as being the most “central” one. And this is what makes it important for the “people enjoying fear” phenomenon.
This pathway is composed of the ventral tegumental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc).24 These are very dense collections of circuits and neural relays deep in the brain, with numerous connections and links to the more sophisticated regions including the hippocampus and the frontal lobes, and the more primitive regions such as the brainstem, so it’s a very influential part of the brain.