By Oliver Clarke Scary movies, roller coasters, running, and acupuncture: what do these things have in common? When a body is placed under certain stressors, such as fear, physical exercise, or pain, endorphins are released to try to help you get through a difficult situation. Some people’s br...

By Oliver Clarke

Scary movies, roller coasters, running, and acupuncture: what do these things have in common? When a body is placed under certain stressors, such as fear, physical exercise, or pain, endorphins are released to try to help you get through a difficult situation. Some people’s brains are wired differently, and receive more dopamine, whereas others’ brains produce less from a fear response, which is why not all movie-goers enjoy horror flicks. The setting also counts, as a person must understand that they are truly safe. Bringing a young, monster fearing child to a haunted house. Not a great idea. Not every frightening situation will produce a flood of endorphins; it depends on the person. However, everyone can achieve the hormone boost that we experience as a feeling of accomplishment from voluntarily facing your fears.

The next time you are faced with a situation that scares you, think through it instead of running from it. Think of the worst reasonable scenario—the most likely negative outcome, not the outlandish one only possible in an alternate reality—and remind yourself that you can live through it. If there’s a spider in the corner, instead of calling out to your spouse to take care of it, think: even if the spider crawls on me, I may not like it, but I am capable of handling it. After you get rid of the very first spider, you may enjoy an endorphin peak. Perhaps after a couple, you may still never love spiders, but you may not be so afraid anymore.

This is especially important for people with anxiety. An anxiety disorder may cause you to be fearful in normal, everyday situations, such as when speaking on the telephone, meeting new people, or driving to work. Avoiding the situations that cause fear not only hampers your life, as these situations are common, but it worsens the anxiety; regardless of whether a person has an anxiety disorder, avoiding your fears only increases the fear response. This may cause an aversion to transform a small fear, into a big fear.

So make this summer an opportunity to face your fears! Practice public speaking, try mountain-climbing, or visit the snakes at a zoo. You can walk out feeling accomplished, as your brain chemistry supports you for conquering your fears.