19
Do extreme sports athletes have different brains?
(lemmy.world)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2023
19 points (91.3% liked)
Explain Like I'm Five
14189 readers
2 users here now
Simplifying Complexity, One Answer at a Time!
Rules
- Be respectful and inclusive.
- No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
- Engage in constructive discussions.
- Share relevant content.
- Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
- Use appropriate language and tone.
- Report violations.
- Foster a continuous learning environment.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
No expert here, but this is an ELI5, so...
Turns out, there's something in our brains that trigger instinctive fears. This is good for survival, generally.
Some people have too much of that, so they become very afraid of things (phobias) or they might even develop more serious mental issues.
On the other side of the spectrum, there's these guys you talk about. People who were predisposed or either "learned" to be more "fearless", the most extreme guys being basically already dead by stupidity.
I was admonished to be careful on a dirtbike as a child, had a fear reinforced in me. Meanwhile, this other kid was quite aggressive, and would piss me off when he'd fly by me on the track. In contrast with my parents cautions, his parents encouraged his style and he was a very highly ranked competitor in the state. He was WOT no matter where he was, turns, jumps, passing me. Absolutely fearless.
He had a bad day at the races when he was about 10 years old, suffered a significant brain injury. And he hasn't been independent since.