The woman who feels no fear
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December 17, 2010 |
Fear isn’t the nicest of emotions, but my life might be quite dull – and dangerous – if I didn’t receive the occasional fright. So I read with interest this morning an article about a woman called ‘SM’ who, although normal in every other way, hasn’t felt scared since she was ten years old.
SM’s condition led to the destruction of part of her brain called the amygdala when she was a child. Scientists say this shows the importance of this almond-sized brain region in feeling fearful.
This news story is supported by the Wellcome Trust, GlaxoSmithKline and Life Technologies Foundation as part of the Who am I? project.
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Scientists took SM to haunted houses and exposed her to snakes, spiders and scary films - nothing scared her.
Image: Bryant Olsen
Jemma
I feel that the question “Would you like to live without fear?” is a little odd. I would do anything not to scared of dogs. But some fear is need so you aren’t completely reckless and have no fear of falling or walking in the middle of a motorway.
I answered yes because being scared of dogs is ruining my life but a level of fear is need in general, I feel.