By Michael Merzenich, Ph.D., and Henry Mahncke, Ph.D.

We are in a season of fear. We are facing election fears just five days after Halloween. The quadrennial political election has become a quadrennial battle that seemingly threatens our existence.

People ask: What’s going on in our brains? Why do we experience so much fear?

The simple answer: Scary stuff activates the brain.

When you encounter scary stuff, the brain kicks in—with vigor—to figure out survival.

How the Brain Reacts

When your brain goes into the fight-or-flight response, it exercises its control over the body and raises the heart rate to pump blood at a higher pressure out to the muscles (and less to areas that matter........

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