fight-or-flight
Primal survival reflex
Fight-or-flight describes the body's automatic response to perceived danger—a surge of adrenaline that prepares you to confront a threat or run from it.
The term comes from physiology but appears widely in everyday contexts: My fight-or-flight kicked in when I heard the noise.
Often used attributively: fight-or-flight response, fight-or-flight instinct.
Emergency response hormone
- epinephrineAdrenal stress hormone
- norepinephrineAlertness and stress hormone
- cortisolAdrenal steroid regulating stress
- heart rateCardiac contractions per minute
tachycardia · palpitations · sweating · trembling · dilated pupils · hyperventilation · vasoconstriction · blood pressure
Emotional response to threat
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
hyperarousal · overwhelm · acute stress · PTSD · trauma response · flashback · dissociation · rumination
Become solid from cold
- fleeDepart swiftly from threat
- escapeFlight from captivity
- confrontFace squarely, address directly
- attackAggressive act against another
avoid · submit · fawn · hypervigilance · startle · reactive · defensive · evasion
Emotion-processing brain cluster
- hypothalamusSubthalamic regulatory brain region
- limbic systemEmotional brain structures
- sympathetic nervous systemAutonomic division activating arousal
- brainstemLower neural trunk
prefrontal cortex · neural pathway · hardwired · innate · automatic · reflex · neurotransmitter · adrenergic
Remaining alive against odds
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- primordialExisting from the start
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- adaptiveAble to change accordingly
prey · predator · natural selection · mammalian · primal · self-preservation
adrenaline
Emergency response hormone
- epinephrineAdrenal stress hormone
- norepinephrineAlertness and stress hormone
- cortisolAdrenal steroid regulating stress
heart rate · tachycardia · palpitations · sweating · trembling · dilated pupils · hyperventilation · vasoconstriction · blood pressure · muscle tension
fear
Emotional response to threat
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
dread · hyperarousal · overwhelm · acute stress · PTSD · trauma response · flashback · dissociation · rumination · catastrophizing
freeze
Become solid from cold
attack · avoid · submit · fawn · hypervigilance · startle · reactive · defensive · evasion · aggression
amygdala
Emotion-processing brain cluster
- hypothalamusSubthalamic regulatory brain region
- limbic systemEmotional brain structures
- sympathetic nervous systemAutonomic division activating arousal
brainstem · prefrontal cortex · neural pathway · hardwired · innate · automatic · reflex · neurotransmitter · adrenergic · vagus nerve
survival
Remaining alive against odds
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- primordialExisting from the start
- ancestralOf one's forebears
adaptive · prey · predator · natural selection · mammalian · primal · self-preservation
danger
Exposure to harm
- predatorOrganism that consumes others
- attackAggressive act against another
- emergencySerious sudden danger
crisis · hazard · peril · menace · alarm · warning · stressor · trigger · confrontation · intrusion
- instinctsinstinct, survival instinct, survival instincts, maternal instinct, gut instinct
- panicpanic attack, alarm, terror, fright, hysteria
- thrillsroller coasters, thrill, adrenaline, skydiving, bungee jump
- panic attackspanic attack, panic, heart palpitations, palpitations, racing heart
- stress responseadrenaline, cortisol, epinephrine, freeze response, startle response
- Adrenal Glandsadrenal gland, cortisol, adrenaline, epinephrine, norepinephrine
fight-or-flightrelaxation response
Body's stress-reversing state
calm · homeostasis · relaxed state · recovery mode · restoration
fight-or-flightslow thinking
Effortful, analytical cognition
reflective thought · contemplation · measured response · executive function · analytical thinking
fight-or-flightsocial engagement
Involvement in community life
freeze response · fawn response · acceptance · embrace · connection
fight, flight, fighting, fighter, fights, fleeing, flights, fought, fighters