Fear is a primal emotion, a quick and dirty alarm system built into our biology. We often think of fears as being learned – a fear of spiders after a creepy encounter, a fear of flying after turbulence, or a fear of public speaking built up over awkward experiences.
But what about the fears that seem to exist before we’ve had any scary encounters? Are there anxieties we arrive with, pre-loaded into our operating system from day one? Science suggests the answer is yes. While the objects of many fears are learned, certain types of stimuli are hardwired to trigger an instinctive fear response, representing the earliest building blocks of our survival instincts.
The most commonly cited examples of these innate, or unlearned, fears are:
Fear of Falling: Watch an infant who is suddenly tilted or feels unstable. They will often exhibit the Moro reflex – a splaying out of the arms and legs, followed by bringing them back in, often accompanied by crying. This isn’t a learned response; it’s an automatic, involuntary reaction designed to help them potentially grab onto something or alert a caregiver. For our ancient ancestors perched in trees or navigating uneven terrain, a fear of falling was a direct matter of life and death. This deep-seated instinct to avoid sudden drops is still present in us, manifesting from the infant’s startled reflex to the adult’s jolt of panic on a high ledge.
Fear of Loud Noises: The sudden crash of thunder, the unexpected bang of a door, a piercing scream – these sounds instantly trigger a startle response in most humans, including newborns. Again, this isn’t something a baby learns from experience in their first moments of life. It’s an automatic alert. In a world where loud, sudden noises often signalled immediate danger – a predator attacking, a rockslide, a tree falling – this instinctive fear acted as a critical warning system, prompting a quick assessment and potentially a rapid escape.
These innate fears are not about being afraid of a specific object (like a spider or a dog) but about being instinctively wary of stimuli that our evolutionary history has associated with immediate physical threat: loss of support (falling) and sudden, powerful environmental changes (loud noises).
Why are we born with these?
The answer lies in evolution. Individuals who were born with these instinctive reactions were more likely to survive and reproduce. The baby who startled and cried when dropped was more likely to be caught by a parent. The early human who froze or fled at a sudden loud noise was more likely to avoid a hidden danger. These responses didn’t require a complex thought process; they were immediate, life-saving reactions.
While these “hardwired” fears are present, it’s important to note that they form the basis upon which more complex fears are built. A lifetime of experiences, learning, and social interactions shapes how these basic instincts develop into specific phobias or anxieties. A child who experiences a bad fall might develop a stronger fear of heights; one startled repeatedly by loud, aggressive sounds might develop a heightened sensitivity to noise.
In essence, we are born with a built-in caution system, primed to react to certain fundamental dangers. The fear of falling and the fear of loud noises are echoes of our ancient past, silent guardians nudging us towards safety from the very first moments of life. They are a powerful reminder that while our modern world is vastly different, the core instincts that kept our ancestors alive are still very much a part of who we are.
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