Sometimes it happens within you when you go home at night, in the dark. Shadows grow. Suddenly you are frightened of what is otherwise so familiar and ordinary. Why do you become frightened? What is fear all about, what is it for? Fear is an instinct linked to the amygdala, two almond-shaped sections of the brain, and part of the so-called limbic system (the word “amygdala” means “almond” in Latin).

Anna Kåver, a psychologist and psychotherapist, describes the function of the amygdala as “a coordination centre, which receives, evaluates, organises and distributes important information from our senses”. When experiencing fear, the amygdala send out signals which release the stress hormon adrenalin into the body. The body becomes ready to flee. Adrenalin makes the heart beat faster and increases our ability to perform. Fear is quite simply our lifesaver. When we become fearful, stressed and tense, our ability to enter into, to empathize with others’ feelings, is also affected. This is because the mirror neurons in the brain, which otherwise help us to understand how other people feel, function less well – or not at all. It is also more difficult for us to learn things when we are stressed and tense. The pinnacle of courage can be to overcome fear. Generosity and the courage to act unselfishly are often connected.