Eli5: What causes irrational fears/phobias? Is there actually a rational explanation?

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I’m asking quite generally and I suppose what I’m getting at is those phobias that elude simple explanations such as a fear of heights stemming from not wanting to hurt oneself by falling.

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for our irrational fears There are a number of possible explanations for why we might develop irrational fears, or phobias. One possibility is that we learn to be afraid of certain things through conditioning – if we have a bad experience with something (e.g. being bitten by a dog), we may start to associate that thing with fear and avoid it in the future. Another possibility is that our brains are wired to pay more attention to potential threats, which can lead us to overestimate the danger they pose. This may be an evolutionary adaptation that helped our ancestors survive in a dangerous world. Finally, it’s also possible that some people are just more prone to anxiety and fear than others, due to genetic factors or differences in brain chemistry.

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