So a consciousness or unconscious system that constantly says, "What's that? Is it dangerous? What's that? Is it dangerous?" is a really good survival strategy. A branch snapping in the woods or a shadow could be, for a more simple creature, a genuine predator or threat. A tendency to be afraid of anything unusual seems like paranoia by our modern standards but is very good in an evolutionary sense. VICE: Why are our brains so predisposed to be fearful?ĭean Burnett: You have to think about the brain as evolving over millions of years.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I skyped Burnett at his home in Cardiff, Wales, to talk more about how our brains evolved to be scared of everything-and why, in our modern times, it's creating an anxiety epidemic. And here, the reason why singing karaoke in a crowded bar puts some people on the verge of a panic attack. Here, the reason why you can remember enough information about a person to write their Wikipedia entry but can't seem to remember their name. The book, which was released in the United States last week, is an Osmosis Jones–style tour through the human brain: Here, on the left, the reason why your brain triggers motion sickness on a boat. But actually, no, our brains have always been driven by fear to some extent, according to Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist and the author of Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To.
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