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fight-or-flight response
- A physiological reaction in response to stress, characterized by an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, elevation of glucose levels in the blood, and redistribution of blood from the digestive tract to the muscles. These changes are caused by activation of the sympathetic nervous system by epinephrine (adrenaline), which prepares the body to challenge or flee from a perceived threat.
Example Sentences
鈥淭he medical effects of this are so profound and people don鈥檛 understand it, but it triggers a fight-or-flight response that triggers all kinds of stress hormones,鈥 said Nalini Lasiewicz, who runs a nonprofit called Pickleball Noise Relief that has helped conduct studies on the harmful effects the sounds of pickleball can have on nearby residents.
This is part of the body's fight-or-flight response that has evolved to help us react quickly to the sounds like a predator crashing through the bushes.
One common response to fear is the fight-or-flight response.
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about a fear response and anxiety accompanying it 鈥 it can trigger a fight-or-flight response to avoid it,鈥 Kross says.
Exposure to stress triggers not only the fight-or-flight response, but in many situations it also initiates what psychologists call the 鈥渢end-and-befriend鈥 system.
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