How we develop phobias....

1. Fear is the first emotion we learn to recognize and identify. We may or may not fear certain things at first - but once we've identified something as being fearful, we tend to associate that feeling with that thing. This concept of associating something with fear is called conditioning; and this process extends beyond emotional states, to any action or reaction. This means that if something happens repeatedly, then our brains begin to associate that event with fear. Over time, these associations get stronger and stronger until they become automatic responses.

2. How does this relate to phobias? Just like we learned to fear certain things, phobias can be developed through repeated exposure to those things. A simple example would be someone who starts fearing clowns after seeing one too many scary movies featuring them as villains.

Our brain makes associations between what we see and feel, and then automatically associates that with fear. When we get scared while looking at a clown, we might feel faint or even burst into tears. As soon as we feel that sensation, we immediately equate that feeling with fear. And then, since we already associated clowns with fear, we create a whole new set of reactions. So, instead of laughing at a clown, we start to feel nervous around them and maybe even run away from them.

3. The more often we repeat this pattern, the stronger the association becomes. Eventually, we'll start to feel afraid whenever we see a clown, and will likely react negatively to them. All this is happening without us realizing that we're actually experiencing fear. It's similar to how you might notice yourself getting angry when you see a red car passing by. You didn't realize you were becoming angry until you noticed that you weren't reacting positively to cars with red paint anymore. By that point, you've conditioned yourself to associate cars with anger.

4. This same mechanism works with other phobias as well. For example, some people may develop a fear of spiders due to having seen them in horror films.

They'll experience that familiar feeling of fear when they encounter a spider because their brain has associated that sensation with spiders.

5. Now, I'm sure you're wondering about all those cute little teddy bears covered in blood and guts!

Yes, that's right - I said the same thing happened with animals, especially dogs! Let me explain...

6. As humans, we naturally connect ourselves with other mammals. Think about the connection you have with your dog. Your dog loves you unconditionally, whether they're playing and running around or sleeping peacefully beside you. Animals are just like us, except that they lack the capacity for self-awareness and complex thought processes. Therefore, when we see a picture of an animal, or hear their cry, we instinctively think of that image/sound as belonging to another living creature. That's because our brains have created an association between the two, based purely on shared similarities.

7. Likewise, when we observe a puppy growling or showing aggression toward us, we assume that this behavior belongs to them, as opposed to us. Again, this is because we've established an association between aggression and animals.

8. There are countless examples where this principle applies. For instance, when you watch a movie with cats acting aggressive towards mice, your brain sees a mouse and automatically assumes that its owner was trying to control the cat.