Final answer:
Everyday fears and phobias are predominantly unadaptive emotional responses related to the ancient fight-or-flight response, now often triggered by psychological stressors. Such responses, while essential for survival in the past, can lead to negative health outcomes in the modern world. Our emotional responses are significantly influenced by the autonomic nervous system and can also be affected by implicit emotional conditioning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Most everyday fears and even phobias are unadaptive emotional responses. These responses can be traced back to the fight-or-flight response, a set of reactions induced by sympathetic activity that leads to either fleeing from a threat or standing up to it. In our modern world, these responses are often triggered by psychological threats rather than physical ones, and can lead to repeated exposure to stress, with negative consequences for health such as an increased susceptibility to heart disease and an impaired function of the immune system.
The James-Lange theory of emotion posits that our emotions, such as fear, arise after physiological arousal. This perspective indicates that different patterns of arousal are correlated with different emotions. Regardless of the theory, it is evident that the autonomic nervous system is deeply involved in our emotional responses. Implicit emotional conditioning also plays a role in how we respond emotionally to different stimuli, often beyond our conscious awareness.