Fight, Flight, or Neither? Rethinking the Stress Response

The "fight or flight" response - it's ingrained in our lexicon as the way our bodies react to perceived threats. When faced with danger, we're wired to either stand our ground or run away thanks to our primitive "lizard brain", right? Not so fast. As scientists have learned more about how the brain works, it's time to retire this overly simplistic myth.

The fight or flight terminology was first coined in the 1920s to describe how the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body to respond to challenges. It's true that when we sense a potential threat, our bodies go through a cascade of changes like increased heart rate, redirected blood flow, and a flood of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

But the key is that these physiological changes evolved to help us meet challenges and do not automatically equate to feeling afraid or escaping. After all, our brains can't distinguish between physical and psychological stressors. Your body may react the same way whether you're facing down a bear or dealing with rush hour traffic. The context colours our emotional interpretation of the stress response.

Plus, fight or flight represents just two options out of many possible reactions. Freeze and fawn responses are also common. Freezing helps camouflage us from predators. Fawning builds social alliances. Even more complexly, we may simultaneously freeze and flee by panicking or freeze and fight through tantrums.

The stress response is highly individualised. Our reactions depend on the meaning we construct from the situation based on our unique life experiences. Two people could have wildly divergent physiological and psychological responses to the exact same stressor. There's no one-size-fits-all.

Outdated notions of the stress response as hardcoded "fight or flight" promote several dangerous myths:

Myth 1: The Stress Response Lives in the Primitive Reptilian Brain

The antiquated triune brain model suggests emotion arises from evolutionarily older brain structures like the amygdala. In reality, intricate brain networks construct our experienced emotions. Our reasoning centres work with sensory input and memories to create meaning. Stress does not emerge from a "primitive lizard brain."

Myth 2: We Can't Control Our Reaction to Stress

If we view stress as an automatic, unconscious process, we feel powerless over our reactions. But the meaning we assign to challenges shapes how we respond. Through awareness, we can gradually change habitual reactions to stressors that don't serve us. We have more agency than we think.

Myth 3: Unmanaged Stress is Dangerous

Chronic stress does impact health. But the effects of stress are complex. Short bursts of stress can be energizing and even protective biologically. How you appraise and adapt to stressors matters more than the stressors themselves. Reframing threats as challenges and developing emotional resiliency protects against lasting negative impacts.

Myth 4: Only Physical Threats Cause Stress

Psychological and social threats trigger stress reactions too. In fact, research shows chronic social evaluative threats - like rejection by peers or poor performance reviews - produce greater physiological reactions than physical stressors. Never underestimate the stress of interpersonal challenges.
By appreciating the brain's flexibility, we can gradually shape healthier stress responses. There's no predestined way our bodies "should" react. Check in with your bodily sensations. Then examine your thought patterns and assign meaning intentionally instead of habitually. You have more power to manage stress than you realise.

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