(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University and Linda Saab, Wayne State University

(THE CONVERSATION) Fear may be as old as life on Earth. It is a fundamental, deeply wired reaction, evolved over the history of biology, to protect organisms against perceived threat to their integrity or existence. Fear may be as simple as a cringe of an antenna in a snail that is touched, or as complex as existential anxiety in a human.

Whether we love or hate to experience fear, it’s hard to deny tha...