Why is it that when we're scared, we freeze up?

You'd think it's neither fight nor flight to freeze up, but it seems that a good number of people go paralyzed both mentally and physically when terrified. Why is this? Is it the lesser known "eat me, I'm tasty and slow" response? :p

Answer:
Psychologists call it the "fight or flight" response (they weren't very creative), but basically when confronted by danger/perceived danger, your brain (hypothalamus particularly) responds by releasing some hormones (CRH) to your pituitary gland, that sends more hormones (ACTH) down to your adrenal cortex which makes another chemical to tell your body to either run like a madman, or stay still. Staying still would work from an evolutionary perspective because maybe the big beastie hasn't seen you yet, and if you move maybe it will see you and think you are a threat then eat you (hehe). Finally there is also the threat factor, an immobile lump on the ground isn't the most threatening thing so the beastie might leave you alone. Also freezing up takes less energy ;) This is all left over responses from our past that kinda suck now that we are out of the wilderness.

Alternatively it could be the eat me I'm tasty response! Ants get possessed by viruses that make them climb to the top of grass and stay there untill they are eaten, maybe its just the same things for humans. resistance is futile.
No, it's the leftover automatic response that says "If I don't move, the predator can't see me." Which happens to be true in a lot of cases in the wild but isn't very functional nowadays.
maybe it's the if I don't move you can't see me response many animals have
thats true and very funny. I freeze up when I'm terrified and you would think maybe it takes our mind a few minutes to decide whether it wants to fight or run. idk
we dont freeze up are heart starts beeting fast and you dont want to move because you feel save where you are
The fight or flight phenomenon.
Adrenaline is shifted into the brain to standby and aid us in either decision; fight or flight.
it is the lack of preperation and knowledge...if you train yourself to do what is needed in fear you will act accordingly but when you freeze it is because you have not put in anything to the brain to deal with a situation that is devistating...you can see by watching people such as martial artists who train themselves to be prepaired that fear is not a factor but a cue...When I taught women against rape we would use anything we could to make it as real as possible during an attack to make sure that when and if it really happened, the brain would automatically kick in and start to fight.if nothing is in the brain...it freezes in fear...why.I dont think anyone really knows for sure...hope it helps
I don't know, but it sure makes me mad. Sometimes I will be asleep and some noise will wake me, I just lay there frozen, instead of getting up to see what the noise is. I am sure if someone had a gun to my head, I would just sit there frozen, instead of fighting for my life.
it's a natural reaction for some ppl
The hypothalamus releases some neurotransmitters that's all
its because u get so embarrassed u have to think of what to say next and u just freeze in thinking.
When we are scared we also very often feel powerless and then become afraid of the powerlessness. Whatever we focus on, we attract. It is simply another facet of the law of attraction, like everything else which manifests in this universe.

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