Our fears may actually be a survival technique. When Editor Erik instructed the Blog Staff to explore the Apocalypse as a theme, Sara looked into the psychology of why we invent apocalyptic scenarios.
By Sara Habibipour
Believe it or not, “Apocalypse Anxiety” is a real condition, and it has presented itself lately with fears of the Apocalypse higher than ever. But, why are we attracted to ideas of our doom? From viruses, to zombies, to environmental destruction, these ideas all stem from our psychology.
While there are many factors that influence a person’s fears and ideas of the Apocalypse, it all starts from the fact that our brains are “pattern-seeking belief engines” (New Scientist). There is actually a really interesting evolutionary thought experiment that ties into this idea.
Imagine this:
You hear a rustle in the grass, but you’re unsure if it’s just the wind or something that could possibly hurt you, for example a venomous snake. If you first assume that it is the snake but it turns out that it is just the wind, you have made what is called a Type I error in cognition. This is when you believe something is real when it is not. You connected A, the rustle in the grass, to B, a snake, but found out eventually that you were safe. On the other hand, if you assume that the rustle in the grass is just the wind but it turns out to be a dangerous snake, you have made a Type II error in cognition, which is where you believe something is not real when it is. In this case, you failed to connect A to B, leading you to your death (New Scientist).
Because of evolution and natural selection, the default position is to “…assume that all patterns are real; in other words, assume that all rustles in the grass are predators” (New Scientist). Thus, our brains favor the cognitive process of assuming that all patterns and the worst possible outcomes are real as a survival mechanism. Apocalypse thinking is just one of these pattern-seeking tendencies; these thoughts just naturally fill our mind due to evolutionary habits that started years and years ago.
Apocalyptic visions also help us make sense of our crazy world. We want to feel that no matter how chaotic the world is, there will be a new beginning after the Apocalypse of this world, which is something that many religions embrace. The idea of a zombie apocalypse, specifically, is also appealing to us because it combines this evolutionary trait with horror, something that gives us a thrill we crave (Psychology Today).
So, next time you find yourself ready to go hide in an underground bunker in preparation for the Apocalypse, you’ll know where your thoughts are coming from.
Apocalypse Editor: Erik Bearman
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-ooze/201810/why-we-fear-the-zombie-apocalypse
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