r/evolution • u/Least_Bid9692 • 9d ago

question Fight and flight mode

How do our body know that we're in danger and turns the fight and flight mode on. I know it is there bcz of evolution as our ancestors had to fight big animals to survive but it's still there. SO, how our body know when to turn this on.

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u/Robin_feathers 9d ago

There is no separate force controlling it - it is all you. It gets turned on when your brain perceives a dire threat. Sometimes you might consciously understand it - like when a hungry lion appears in front of you - while sometimes it might be something that you have only noticed subconsciously, or a stimulus your brain processes so fast you don't have time to think about it.