Fear - an Explanation

[Think_n_See]

"Why Do We Fear The Wring Things?"
This is a question Psychologist David Myers posed, and then answered.
His example was that people fear flying to Florida for vacation, but
will drive there when driving has been shown to be more dangerous.
Why?

Here is his answer:
"[1] we fear what our ancestral history has prepared us to fear. Human
emotions were road tested in the Stone Age. Yesterday's risks prepare
us to fear snakes, lizards, and spiders, although all three combined
now kill only a dozen Americans a year. Flying may be far safer than
biking, but our biological past predisposes us to fear confinement and
heights, and therefore flying....
[2] we fear what we cannot control. ...
[3] we fear what's immediate. ...
[4] we fear what's most readily available in memory.... [v]ivid,
memorable images ...."

So the solution to avoid fear is, as a friend of mine says, to have
concrete, visual goals. That calms and centers.

David Myers' answer:
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/1201/prescol.html
David Myers's question: http://www.edge.org/q2002/q_myers.html