Dying of fear: is it possible?

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Can we die as a result of experiencing very high emotional intensity? Scientists have been cautious when it comes to answering this question. What do we know about it?

In our everyday language we contemplate the option of dying of fear. “I was scared to death,” we say, or “I almost died of fear when I saw that.” But is it possible that this is not just a metaphorical expression, but a biological reality? Can a person feel fear so intense that it causes death?

Scientists approach the issue as a hypothesis. Ultimately, we all die for physical reasons: the heart fails, the brain fails, or both. A forensic doctor always establishes the cause of death by referring to the organic deficiency that caused the death. Although there has been a shock previous emotional state, it would not be determined that the person died of fear.

Some experts think that it is impossible to die of fear if there is no vulnerability factor in the equation. That is, if there is no previous organic anomaly. Others, however, think that it is an extreme state of emotional stress, anxiety or what we commonly call fear. Who is right?

«Love drives away fear and, reciprocally, fear drives away love. And not only love is expelled by fear; also to intelligence, goodness, every thought of beauty and truth, and only mute despair remains; and in the end, fear comes to expel humanity itself from man..

-Aldous Huxley-

Dying of fear is possible from a theoretical point of view.

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die of fear

Many scientists have wondered if it is possible to die of fear. From a theoretical point of view, this is perfectly possible. However, as we noted before, it is not easy to determine that fear is the direct cause of a death. Despite this, Dr. Mark Gillinov, from the Cleveland Clinic, took on the task of doing research on the matter.

In this study, cases of people who already suffer from heart disease were examined, compared to others who are completely healthy. Gillinov explained that when a person is faced with a threatening stimulus, the body generates a response that drives fight or flight: anxiety. This physical and emotional stress causes a heart medical condition known as stress cardiomyopathy..

This condition causes the heart to not be able to pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body. Thus, the affected person experiences palpitations, fatigue, difficulty breathing and other symptoms.

So things are, the likelihood of cardiac function declining or failing increases. Sometimes this leads to the heart stopping pumping blood and could cause sudden death. However, research indicates that this is extremely rare, although possible.

Yes, it is possible to die of fear

Generally speaking, cardiologists accept that you can die of fear. There is even evidence of this: during an earthquake that occurred in Los Angeles (United States), sudden deaths from heart failure increased five-fold. In all of these cases, people felt a sudden tightness in their chest and then fell dead instantly, due to the highly stressful event.

Obviously, people who have previous cardiac pathologies are more likely to die of fear or, in other words, to respond inappropriately to a situation of high physical and emotional stress. However, this can also occur in those who do not have any pathology.

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Other interesting evidence comes from the physiologist Walter Bradford of Harvard University. In his work Voodoo Death, published at the end of the 20th century, evidenced the death of a person due to the fear caused by the action of a sorcerer. This would be a case of death by fear. There are also other similar works that report similar cases.

According to cardiology experts, it is possible to die of fear in the face of a highly stressful event.

The organism and fear

We must insist on the fact that dying from fear, or in general from a very intense emotional state, should not surprise us. If it surprises us, it is because we continue to maintain the idea that body and mind are two separate realities, when in reality they form a unit at all times.

Fear causes a reaction in the brain and it reacts by producing a greater amount of adrenaline. This prepares the body for fight or flight. If the fear is very intense and, consequently, higher amounts of the neurotransmitter are produced, the heart may be affected.

Specific, adrenaline causes calcium channels in cells to open. When they receive more volume of that element, their electrical potential changes. This leads to the heart muscle contracting. If this state persists, “ventricular fibrillation” occurs, which may be accompanied by a drop in pressure. If medical attention is not received, death occurs. In conclusion: yes it is possible to die of fear.