Genetics+Of+Fear+Specific+Genetic+Variations+Contribute+To+Anxiety+Disorders

The dark, spiders, snakes, squirrels, etc. everyone is afraid of something. The real question is what causes it? The answer is your genes; genes can act through the environment. They make carriers of particular gene combinations more likely than other individuals to easily pick up and retain fear. Psychologist Tina B. Lonsdorf and her colleagues from the Karolinska Instituet in Sweden and the University of Greifswald in Germany have taken some deeper thought on this subject. They conducted an experiment where, volunteers were shown a picture and then immediately received a mild electric shock. Then they were shown another picture that was never associated with a shock. The experiment proved that fear could be overcame.