“There’s a little part of our brain called the amygdala that keeps us ready to fight or run away from dangerous things,” says Coltan Scrivner. This behavioral scientist studies fear at Aarhus University in Denmark. “When we look at – or even think about! – something bad, the amygdala gets to work,” he says. “It tells our heart to pump faster so that our muscles can have enough oxygen to work harder. It tells our eyes to open wide so we can clearly see anything that is dangerous. It also tells the rest of our mind to be on alert.” Altogether, this creates the sensation of being scared.
Difference between fear and being scared
Fear is the feeling you get when you’re scared. It’s the emotion that happens when you believe something might harm you or make you uncomfortable. On the other hand, to scare means to make someone feel fear. It’s what happens when something or someone causes you to be afraid, like a sudden loud noise or a spooky movie. So, fear is the emotion itself, and to scare is the action that causes that emotion.