As I understand it, fear is essentially a warning system to alert you that you are in danger, and encourage you to take action (the Fight or Flight reflex). That being the case, why is it so common for people to freeze up, faint, or become catatonic, when these responses prevent them from reacting to the threat, and places them in more danger?
Same applies to other animals. Fainting Goats, obviously, rabbits will sometimes suffer fatal heart attacks in response to fear, etc.
In: Biology
Freezing in place is often a good survival strategy. You may have noticed a predator, but that doesn’t mean it has noticed you. Taking off would be very conspicuous, and the predator would *definitely* notice you, and may chase you. If you stay very still, it may wander past you.
Fainting is a side effect and not a desirable effect. When your body reacts strongly to fear, it dumps a load of chemicals into your blood, increasing your heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels in your blood, etc. Blood is often drawn *away* from your brain so that your muscles can get more energy and oxygen. If your response is too strong, your heart beats to erratically and suddenly your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen. Maybe the “freeze” part is a bit too strong and your breath catches, too. You try to move too quickly and your body just can’t keep up, so you pass out.
It isn’t *meant* to happen, but sometimes it does. Our ancestors that didn’t have a strong enough fear response died as a result. Too strong a response may also get you killed, but there will always be random variation so that some people just react more strongly than would otherwise be safe or healthy.
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