9781422280553

11

What Is Fear?

and a long-term outcome is the creation of lots of little Eeks to carry on the family tradition of lion avoidance. Rash people like Grr still exist, of course! But, in general, humans tend to be more like Eek. As a species, we evolved to worry. And that’s not a bad thing. The ability to imagine outcomes and make plans is a major reason why humans were able to advance from those caves of Grr and Eek’s day. However, sometimes worrying can go too far. Let’s picture Eek again. He did a good job staying out of the way of that lion. His worry caused him to make a plan (saving food) that saved his life. But there’s a catch. Once the lion has left, it’s important

…if it just makes us upset for no real reason, then worry can be a problem.