A woman who can't feel fear

Re:A woman who can't feel fear by ggambetta on Thursday January 22, 2015 @03:31AM (#8928126)

I wonder whether she has done truly awesome things with her life. One of these pieces of advice you hear often regarding your true vocation goes something like _what would you do if you had no fear?_.

Well, she literally hasn't. So is she an Olympic champion who fights crime during the night and writes amazing novels during the day and commutes to work swimming together with a school of piranhas, or has she led a relatively normal life? She can follow her passion with no fear of failure or success or whatever!

I'm genuinely curious to find scientific evidence about whether fear is the only thing holding us back or there are other factors.

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Re:A woman who can't feel fear by egeozcan on Thursday January 22, 2015 @04:35AM (#8928314)

I think what they really mean by fear, in those advice, is actually "learned helplessness". You refrain from applying that great position you've always dreamed of, because you "fear" that being rejected would crush your dreams. This is a complex thought. What this woman lacks, as I understand, is something more elementary.

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Re:A woman who can't feel fear by SafariDevelop on Thursday January 22, 2015 @07:04AM (#8928701)

Isn't the "complex thought" of "learned helplessness" actually based on the elementary "fear" instinct? That is: no fear, no learned helplessness (only intelligent appraisal).

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Re:A woman who can't feel fear by SafariDevelop on Thursday January 22, 2015 @07:07AM (#8928711)

Gabriel, I'm delighted to read this comment by you (and that of David Warren) as you folks get this article in a positive light. Look at others bringing in sociopathy and "real dangers".

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