Curious Corner

How much of our lives are driven by fear? I think perhaps a little bit too much. Although I think we are more of emotional beings than rational ones and fear being one of the five primal emotional instincts, it is no surprise that ‘fear’ plays a major role in our lives. But ‘fear’ is more than just an emotion; it is also a tool that comes in quite handy for manipulation and controlling people.

Psychology of Fear

Before trying to understand how ‘fear’ is used for manipulation and control lets first understand the physiology of fear. And what goes in our brain and how our body reacts when we experience ‘fear’. From an evolutionary point of view fear is a survival mechanism that responds to immediate dangers and triggers the body’s fight or flight response. Our brain releases certain hormones that prepare the body to fight or run away. Our body goes through sudden physical changes such as sweating, increased heart rate, breathlessness, and dilated pupils. So, from physiological perspective fear is definitely useful for survival. 

The Manipulation

However it is the psychological and behavioural reaction to fear that is used to manipulate and control people. Firstly fear can cloud our judgement and hamper our decision making ability. In a state of panic when our mind enters into fight or flight mode, our brain tries to override the prefrontal cortex – the part of our brain responsible for rational thinking. Thus making us more prone to lapses in our judgement. Secondly our ability to perceive risk is also compromised. It increases our perception of risk or danger and  underestimates our own ability to handle them. Which causes us to behave in a more risk averse manner. Thus, robbing us of the opportunities we would have pursued with a sound mind.

The emotion of fear is the single most powerful tool in the arsenal of people and organizations who are in the business of influencing others. Because it spreads like wildfire.

Fear Politics

Politicians use fear very effectively to exaggerate the perceived dangers such as economic instability, immigration, terrorism etc. to rally support. And they also use it to justify stricter laws and to push policies that would have been unpopular otherwise, all while limiting civil liberties. One classic tactic is creating – “us vs them” mentality and creating fear of ‘them’ to their supporters to polarize and rally people. However politicians are not the only ones to use fear for their own agenda.

Fear Business

Marketers have been using fear very masterfully to shape and influence consumer behaviour for a long time. They are very good at creating a sense of urgency or necessity to drive sales and even build brand loyalty. It is used to generally sell various kinds of health, finance and insurance products. However one area where brands really shine in exploiting ‘fear’ is about exploiting low self esteem of people and their fear regarding social acceptance. Which is a common tactic for beauty and lifestyle brands.

Overcoming Fear

Now the question is how do we overcome fear and take control back into our own hands. The simple answer is to first accept this notion –  that fear is a primal human instinct that is encoded in our brain but this evolutionary relic does not need to drive all our life choices. And the first thing you need to do is to reflect and think about times when you let your fear drive yourself rather than your rational mind. Try to bring this power of reflection and introspection in real time action and catch yourself in the act. Only you can help yourself, as only you are your own enemy.

I will leave you with the quote by Frank Herbert.