Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEvolutionWhat HappensPhysical SignsImpactExamplesHow to CalmPsychology

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Evolution

What Happens

Physical Signs

Impact

Examples

How to Calm

Psychology

Close

The three stages of fight-or-flight are:

Evolution of the Fight-or-Flight Response

The term “fight-or-flight” represents the choices our ancient ancestors had when faced with danger in their environment: to either fight or flee. In either case, the physiological and psychological response to stress prepares the body to react to the danger.

In the 1920s, American physiologist Walter Cannon was the first to describe the fight-or-flight response. Cannon realized that a chain of rapidly occurring reactions inside the body helped to mobilize the body’s resources to deal with threatening circumstances.

Today, the fight-or-flight response is recognized as part of the first stage of Hans Selye’sgeneral adaptation syndrome, a theory describing the stress response.

What Happens During the Fight-or-Flight Response

These hormones cause the sympathetic nervous system to stimulate the pituitary gland andadrenal glands. This triggers the release of catecholamines, including adrenaline, noradrenaline, andcortisol.

This chain of reactions results in an increased heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate.Your body can stay in fight-or-flight for 20 to 60 minutes after the threat is gone, which is how long it takes for the parasympathetic nervous system to return it to pre-arousal levels.

The sympathetic nervous system promotes the fight-or-flight response while the parasympathetic nervous system helps calm the body once the threat is gone.

Physical Signs of a Fight-or-Flight Response

Physical signs that can indicate that your fight-or-flight response has kicked in include:

You can probably think of a time when you experienced the fight-or-flight response.When faced with something frightening, you can feel your heartbeat quicken, you may start breathing faster, and your entire body becomes tense and ready to take action.

Impact of the Fight-or-Flight Response

There are both benefits and drawbacks to the fight-or-flight response.

Benefits of Fight-or-Flight

The fight-or-flight response plays a critical role in how wedeal with stressand danger in our environment. When we are under threat, the response prepares the body to either fight or flee. By priming your body for action, you are better prepared to perform under pressure.

And in cases where the threat is life-threatening, the fight-or-flight response plays a critical role in your survival. By gearing you up to fight or flee, the fight-or-flight response makes it more likely that you will survive the danger.

Learning Brain vs. Survival Brain: What’s the Difference?

Drawbacks of Fight-or-Flight

While the fight-or-flight response happens automatically, that doesn’t mean that it is always accurate. Sometimes we respond in this way even when there is no real threat.

Constantly being in a state of fight-or-flight, such as when facing repeated stressors, can also be harmful to your health. Chronic stress can increase your risk of:

Is Anxiety a Fight-or-Flight Response?Some research indicates that the body’s desire to fight or flee can increase a person’s risk of developing ananxiety disorder, making them more vulnerable to this type of mental health condition.

Is Anxiety a Fight-or-Flight Response?

Some research indicates that the body’s desire to fight or flee can increase a person’s risk of developing ananxiety disorder, making them more vulnerable to this type of mental health condition.

Examples of the Fight-or-Flight Response

The fight-or-flight response can happen in the face of imminent physical danger, such as when encountering a growling dog during your morning jog. It can also be the result of a psychological threat, such aspreparing to give a big presentationat school or work.

Another example of the flight-or-fight response is if a person who isterrified of heightshas to go to the top floor of a skyscraper to attend a meeting. Their body might go on high alert, with their heartbeat and respiration rate increasing. If the response is severe, it can lead to apanic attack.

Fight or Flight Theory of Panic Disorder

How to Calm a Fight-or-Flight Response

Understanding the body’s natural fight-or-flight response is one way to help cope with such situations. When you notice that you are becoming tense, you can start looking for ways to calm down and relax your body.

Ways to calm the fight-or-flight response include:

Techniques to Tame the Fight-or-Flight Response

Psychology and the Fight-or-Flight Response

The stress response is one of the major topics studied in the rapidly-growing field ofhealth psychology. Health psychologists are interested in helping people find ways to combat stress and live healthier, more productive lives.

By learning more about the fight-or-flight response, psychologists can help people explore new ways to deal with their natural reactions to stress.

How to Trigger Your Relaxation Response

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol.2010;30(8):1433-40. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9Sperber S.Fight or flight response: Definition, symptoms, and examples. Berkeley Well-Being Institute.Gordan R, Gwathmey JK, Xie LH.Autonomic and endocrine control of cardiovascular function.World J Cardiol.2015;7(4):204-14. doi:10.4330/wjc.v7.i4.204Chen Y, Lyga J.Brain-skin connection: Stress, inflammation and skin aging.Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets.2014;13(3):177-90. doi:10.2174/1871528113666140522104422Kantorovich V, Eisenhofer G, Pacak K.Pheochromocytoma: An endocrine stress mimicking disorder.Ann N Y Acad Sci.2008;1148:462-8. doi:10.1196/annals.1410.081Lebel RD.Moving beyond fight and flight: A contingent model of how the emotional regulation of anger and fear sparks proactivity.Acad Manage Rev. 2016;42(2):190-206. doi:10.5465/amr.2014.0368American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.Mihić L, Čolović P, Ignjatović I, Smederevac S, Novović Z.Anxiety between personality and cognition: The gray zone.Person Indiv Diff. 2015;78:19-23. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.01.013Duval ER, Javanbakht A, Liberzon I.Neural circuits in anxiety and stress disorders: A focused review.Ther Clin Risk Manag.2015;11:115-26. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S48528Additional ReadingBrannon L, Feist J.Health Psychology: An Introduction to Behavior and Health.Brehm B.Psychology of Health and Fitness.Teatero ML, Penney AM. Fight-or-Flight Response. In Milosevic, McCabe RE, (Eds.),Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear.

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol.2010;30(8):1433-40. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9Sperber S.Fight or flight response: Definition, symptoms, and examples. Berkeley Well-Being Institute.Gordan R, Gwathmey JK, Xie LH.Autonomic and endocrine control of cardiovascular function.World J Cardiol.2015;7(4):204-14. doi:10.4330/wjc.v7.i4.204Chen Y, Lyga J.Brain-skin connection: Stress, inflammation and skin aging.Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets.2014;13(3):177-90. doi:10.2174/1871528113666140522104422Kantorovich V, Eisenhofer G, Pacak K.Pheochromocytoma: An endocrine stress mimicking disorder.Ann N Y Acad Sci.2008;1148:462-8. doi:10.1196/annals.1410.081Lebel RD.Moving beyond fight and flight: A contingent model of how the emotional regulation of anger and fear sparks proactivity.Acad Manage Rev. 2016;42(2):190-206. doi:10.5465/amr.2014.0368American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.Mihić L, Čolović P, Ignjatović I, Smederevac S, Novović Z.Anxiety between personality and cognition: The gray zone.Person Indiv Diff. 2015;78:19-23. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.01.013Duval ER, Javanbakht A, Liberzon I.Neural circuits in anxiety and stress disorders: A focused review.Ther Clin Risk Manag.2015;11:115-26. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S48528Additional ReadingBrannon L, Feist J.Health Psychology: An Introduction to Behavior and Health.Brehm B.Psychology of Health and Fitness.Teatero ML, Penney AM. Fight-or-Flight Response. In Milosevic, McCabe RE, (Eds.),Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol.2010;30(8):1433-40. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9Sperber S.Fight or flight response: Definition, symptoms, and examples. Berkeley Well-Being Institute.Gordan R, Gwathmey JK, Xie LH.Autonomic and endocrine control of cardiovascular function.World J Cardiol.2015;7(4):204-14. doi:10.4330/wjc.v7.i4.204Chen Y, Lyga J.Brain-skin connection: Stress, inflammation and skin aging.Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets.2014;13(3):177-90. doi:10.2174/1871528113666140522104422Kantorovich V, Eisenhofer G, Pacak K.Pheochromocytoma: An endocrine stress mimicking disorder.Ann N Y Acad Sci.2008;1148:462-8. doi:10.1196/annals.1410.081Lebel RD.Moving beyond fight and flight: A contingent model of how the emotional regulation of anger and fear sparks proactivity.Acad Manage Rev. 2016;42(2):190-206. doi:10.5465/amr.2014.0368American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.Mihić L, Čolović P, Ignjatović I, Smederevac S, Novović Z.Anxiety between personality and cognition: The gray zone.Person Indiv Diff. 2015;78:19-23. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.01.013Duval ER, Javanbakht A, Liberzon I.Neural circuits in anxiety and stress disorders: A focused review.Ther Clin Risk Manag.2015;11:115-26. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S48528

Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol.2010;30(8):1433-40. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9

Sperber S.Fight or flight response: Definition, symptoms, and examples. Berkeley Well-Being Institute.

Gordan R, Gwathmey JK, Xie LH.Autonomic and endocrine control of cardiovascular function.World J Cardiol.2015;7(4):204-14. doi:10.4330/wjc.v7.i4.204

Chen Y, Lyga J.Brain-skin connection: Stress, inflammation and skin aging.Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets.2014;13(3):177-90. doi:10.2174/1871528113666140522104422

Kantorovich V, Eisenhofer G, Pacak K.Pheochromocytoma: An endocrine stress mimicking disorder.Ann N Y Acad Sci.2008;1148:462-8. doi:10.1196/annals.1410.081

Lebel RD.Moving beyond fight and flight: A contingent model of how the emotional regulation of anger and fear sparks proactivity.Acad Manage Rev. 2016;42(2):190-206. doi:10.5465/amr.2014.0368

American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.

Mihić L, Čolović P, Ignjatović I, Smederevac S, Novović Z.Anxiety between personality and cognition: The gray zone.Person Indiv Diff. 2015;78:19-23. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.01.013

Duval ER, Javanbakht A, Liberzon I.Neural circuits in anxiety and stress disorders: A focused review.Ther Clin Risk Manag.2015;11:115-26. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S48528

Brannon L, Feist J.Health Psychology: An Introduction to Behavior and Health.Brehm B.Psychology of Health and Fitness.Teatero ML, Penney AM. Fight-or-Flight Response. In Milosevic, McCabe RE, (Eds.),Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear.

Brannon L, Feist J.Health Psychology: An Introduction to Behavior and Health.

Brehm B.Psychology of Health and Fitness.

Teatero ML, Penney AM. Fight-or-Flight Response. In Milosevic, McCabe RE, (Eds.),Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear.

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