66 What Are You Afraid Of Fears and Phobias

CHAPTER 1 What Is Fear? THERE IS PANIC IN THE STREETS. PEOPLE ARE SCREAMING FOR HELP AND RUNNING FROM THEIR HOMES IN FEAR. WHAT IS HAPPENING? IS THE WORLD COMING TO AN END? On October 30, 1938, people in the United States and Canada turned on the radio and heard some terrible news. Aliens have landed in New Jersey. The army fought bravely but lost the battle. Now, the aliens are moving across the country, destroying roads and bridges and taking control of towns and cities. There is black smoke everywhere, and in New York, people are throwing themselves into the river. Is everybody going to die?

第一章什么是恐惧？街上一片恐慌。 人们尖叫着寻求帮助，恐惧地逃离家园。 发生了什么？世界末日来临了吗？ 1938年10月30日，美国和加拿大的人们打开收音机，听到了一些可怕的消息。 外星人在新泽西登陆了。 这支军队英勇作战，但输掉了战斗。 现在，外星人正在全国各地移动，摧毁道路和桥梁，控制城镇和城市。 到处都是黑烟，在纽约，人们纷纷投河自尽。 是不是每个人都会死？

On that night, about three million people believed that aliens were actually attacking Earth. Some people called the police for help while others ran away from the cities where they lived. But in fact, what they had heard was simply a radio play, The War of the Worlds, with the actor Orson Welles. There was no real danger at all. So why were people so afraid? In 1938, the radio was quite a new invention, and many people believed everything they heard on it. At that time, stories and movies about aliens were becoming very popular, and many people thought it was really possible for aliens to come to Earth from other planets. Also, this happened not long before World War II. There was a general feeling of worry at that time because of the risk of war. When people are already nervous, panic can easily take control of them.

那天晚上，大约有三百万人相信外星人真的在攻击地球。 一些人打电话给警察寻求帮助，而另一些人则逃离了他们居住的城市。 但事实上，他们听到的只是一部广播剧，《世界大战》，演员是奥逊·威尔斯。 根本没有真正的危险。 那么为什么人们如此害怕呢？ 在1938年，收音机还是一项新发明，许多人相信收音机里听到的一切。 那时，关于外星人的故事和电影变得非常流行，许多人认为外星人真的有可能从其他星球来到地球。 而且，这发生在第二次世界大战之前不久。 由于战争的危险，当时人们普遍感到担忧。 当人们已经紧张的时候，恐慌很容易控制他们。

Why do we feel fear? It's a natural emotion that helps us and animals survive. When we think there is danger, the brain makes special hormones that send messages to the rest of the body. The heart beats faster and blood moves around the body more quickly. We also make a kind of sugar called glucose. These changes make the body stronger and make us pay more attention to the things around us. Then we are ready to find the best way to survive: fight, hide, or run away.

为什么我们会感到恐惧？这是一种帮助我们和动物生存的自然情感。 当我们认为有危险时，大脑会产生特殊的激素，向身体的其他部位发送信息。 心脏跳动加快，血液在体内流动得更快。 我们也制造一种叫做葡萄糖的糖。 这些变化使身体更强壮，使我们更加关注我们周围的事物。 然后我们准备寻找最好的生存方式：战斗、躲藏或逃跑。

So, are we born with fear or do we learn it? In the early 20th century, the American scientist John Watson did a very famous experiment with an 11-month-old baby named Albert. A white rat was put near Albert many times and, each time, Watson made a very loud, frightening noise. This made the baby cry. Eventually, the baby learned to cry every time he saw the rat, even when there was no noise. Watson believed that Baby Albert had learned to fear rats. Fortunately, experiments have gotten better and less cruel since then. By studying animals, scientists have shown that the fear hormone is made in a part of the brain called the amygdala. When the danger that causes the feeling of fear disappears, the memory of that danger is kept for some time in the amygdala. So, if you are attacked and robbed in the street one night, you will probably feel nervous about walking in the street for some time after. This may be true even if you know there is no real risk. Your brain simply remembers to be afraid.

所以，我们天生就有恐惧，还是后天学会的？ 在20世纪早期，美国科学家约翰·沃森对一个11个月大的婴儿阿尔伯特做了一个非常著名的实验。 一只白老鼠多次被放在艾伯特附近，每次，沃森都发出一种非常响亮、可怕的声音。 这使婴儿哭了。最后，婴儿学会了每次看到老鼠就哭，即使没有噪音。 沃森相信小阿尔伯特已经学会了害怕老鼠。 幸运的是，从那时起，实验变得更好，也不那么残酷了。 通过对动物的研究，科学家们已经证明，恐惧激素是在大脑中一个叫做杏仁核的部分产生的。 当引起恐惧感的危险消失时，对这种危险的记忆会在杏仁核中保存一段时间。 所以，如果你有一天晚上在街上被袭击和抢劫，你可能会在街上走一段时间后感到紧张。 这可能是真的，即使你知道没有真正的风险。 你的大脑只会记住害怕。

Recently, Dr. Dean Mobbs from Cambridge University has shown that the emotion of fear is experienced in two ways. Twenty people were asked to put their foot in a special box with six different parts. Then, a tarantula was put in a different part of the box from the person's foot. The people watched on video as the different parts of the box were opened, allowing the tarantula to move closer to their foot. Mobbs found that when the spider was farther away from a person's foot, there was more activity in the part of the brain that controls emotion and worry. When the spider got nearer, the part of the brain connected with panic was more active. So, we act in different ways depending on how near danger is. But sometimes the amygdala doesn't work in the right way. This often happens when people have had a terrible experience, for example, during a war. In this case, they think danger is always present, and they feel afraid all the time. It can cause serious health problems. Life can become a nightmare.

最近，剑桥大学的迪恩·莫博斯博士指出，恐惧情绪有两种体验方式。 20个人被要求把他们的脚放在一个特殊的盒子里，盒子里有六个不同的部分。 然后，一只狼蛛被放在盒子里与人脚不同的地方。 人们通过视频观看盒子的不同部分被打开，让狼蛛靠近他们的脚。 Mobbs发现，当蜘蛛离人的脚越远，大脑中控制情绪和担忧的部分就越活跃。 当蜘蛛靠近时，大脑中与恐慌有关的部分更加活跃。 所以，我们会根据危险的远近采取不同的行动。 但有时杏仁核并没有以正确的方式工作。 这通常发生在人们有过可怕经历的时候，比如在战争期间。 在这种情况下，他们认为危险总是存在的，他们一直感到害怕。 它会导致严重的健康问题。 生活可以变成一场噩梦。

Fear can be a good thing. People can sometimes do amazing things when they're afraid. In 2006, for example, American Tom Boyle saw a car hit an 18-year-old boy. Tom saw that he was caught under the wheels of the car. He ran over and lifted the car up, saving the young man's life! There are also times when we feel no fear. A mother might enter a burning house to save her child, for example. Scientist Joseph Jordania calls this lack of fear aphobia. It can be important to help humans survive.

恐惧可以是一件好事。人们有时在害怕的时候也能做出惊人的事情。 例如，2006年，美国人汤姆·博伊尔（Tom Boyle）看到一辆车撞了一名18岁的男孩。 汤姆发现自己被车轮压住了。 他跑过去把车举起来，救了那个年轻人的命！也有我们不感到恐惧的时候。 例如，一位母亲可能会进入着火的房子去救她的孩子。 科学家约瑟夫·乔丹尼亚称这种缺乏恐惧为恐惧症。 它对帮助人类生存很重要。