I understand if danger is not imminent, like you see a bear walking around. But why do we sometimes freeze when we know danger is completely imminent? Like when the beast is charging at us.
In: 5
Freezing is neither flight or fight, it’s like an inability to choose between fight or flight. you can’t run, you can’t fight, all you can do is sit there and accept what’s happening in real time. It doesn’t happen to everyone but it is a 3rd option altogether, and it’s because sometimes stress is so overwhelming we just don’t know how to react to it, so we don’t.
Brains are squishy and imperfect.
Freezing may not be the best option when danger is imminent like a car coming, or we’re about to get punched but it is an option for things like “did that predator see me yet?” “What was that out of the corner of my eye? Time to stop and assess.”
It may not work for every situation, but neither will fighting or fleeing. It just had to work well enough to not get everyone who did it killed before they could reproduce.
There’s some theory about certain types of freeze being psychological protection where people block things out.
Edit: looking at the posted question, goes back to squishy and imperfect. Rationally seeing a bear out in the woods just walking around is different than if it spotted you and is now 50m away and approaching your location rapidly, but brains aren’t always rational and process stress in the most effective manner.
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