#fear

Fear responses are moderated in the presence of another person, even a virtual person. A realistic virtual woman and a wooden mannequin both were more effective than a realistic virtual man. Perception of the 'person' as a social partner seems to be key.

Summary: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-presence-virtual-characters-physical-anxiety.html

Original paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563225001049

#Science #Psychology #Fear #GenderRoles

Editorial & Political Cartoons @EandPCartoons May 4 Jack Ohman , Tribune Content Agency #Fear

Power shutoff initiative creating ‘wave of fear,’ says Princeton, B.C. mayor
The initiative has many people, including residents, business owners in affected communities and local governments, expressing some serious concerns.
#power #government #fear #PrincetonBC #Canada #CentralOkanagan
https://globalnews.ca/news/11172844/power-shutoff-initiative-wave-of-fear-princeton-mayor/

“Although these costs are not as high as in dictatorships like Russia—where critics are routinely imprisoned, exiled or killed—America has, w/stunning speed, descended into a world in which opponents of the government #fear #criminal investigations, #lawsuits, #TaxAudits & other punitive measures & even #Republican politicians are, as one fmr #Trump admin ofcl put it, 'scared' out of their minds 'about death threats.'”

#AmericanAutocracy

If you avoid doing something that would bring you joy, simply because you are worried about what others might think or say about you, then you are not living your life -- you are living theirs.

Be yourself, in all your weird glory..

#wisdom #life #LifeAdvice #fear #joy #judge #embarassment #EmbraceWeirdness #weirdness #weird #freedom

@Npars01 @GottaLaff @theogrin Was thinking more of frustrated lust and perversion, riding him with spurs and can’t be thrown off. #Age #Impotence #senility #DeathOnPaddedFeet #Fear

https://www.europesays.com/2050600/ Why Retiring Broke Is Scarier Than Death, How to Save for Retirement. #Americans #business #BusinessInsider #death #fear #Half #IndividualAge #KellyLavigne #market #MarketVolatility #money #people #PersonalFinance #Plan #retirement #security #time

https://www.europesays.com/uk/74045/ Why Retiring Broke Is Scarier Than Death, How to Save for Retirement. #Americans #Business #BusinessInsider #Death #fear #Finance #half #IndividualAge #KellyLavigne #market #MarketVolatility #money #People #PersonalFinance #Plan #retirement #Security #time #UK #UnitedKingdom

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), a massive biomedical-research funder that also employs thousands of scientists at its own laboratories,
is “totally broken and non-functional right now”,
according to a principal investigator at the NIH who asked for anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press.
“We can’t #hire people. We can’t #recruit people. We can’t #talk to people on the outside. We cannot #travel,” they say.

Other government scientists, say that they can’t afford #publication #fees or the #supplies they need to process lab samples.
At the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
— which monitors Earth’s oceans and atmosphere and provides weather forecasting services
— some scientists cannot do fieldwork because many of the contractors they have historically worked with have been #furloughed.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Government Efficiency, effectively run by billionaire Elon Musk, has been sowing #fear among federal workers with its visits to various agencies, threatening possible workforce cuts and more.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01245-2

Watch a Man Who’s #Terrified of #Heights Confront His #Fear Head-On

https://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/watch-a-man-whos-terrified-of-heights-confront-his-fear-head-on/87691879/

Ever wonder what turns off FEAR in your brain? If you’re struggling with #anxiety help may be on the way as MIT scientists have now identified the brain chemistry and pathways involved in moderating #fear - “Dangers come but dangers also go and when they do, the brain has an “all-clear” signal that teaches it to extinguish its fear. A new study in mice by MIT neuroscientists shows that the signal is the release of dopamine along a specific interregional brain circuit. The research therefore pinpoints a potentially critical mechanism of mental health, restoring calm when it works, but prolonging anxiety or even post-traumatic stress disorder when it doesn’t.”
#psychology #MentalHealth #PTSD

https://picower.mit.edu/news/dopamine-signals-when-fear-can-be-forgotten

Tauranga businesses fear impact of expanded paid parking https://www.diningandcooking.com/2047749/tauranga-businesses-fear-impact-of-expanded-paid-parking/ #Businesses #expanded #fear #Impact #Mediterranean #MediterraneanFood #nbsp #Of #paid #Parking #tauranga

#fear #Trump

We Have A Dictator -

Don’t Doubt It and Don’t Get Used to It

https://www.thestranger.com/news/2025/04/29/80036027/we-have-a-dictator

#Fear #DictatorTrump #NoKings #NoDictators #NoTrump #Impeach #25th

"In a time of uncertainty, fear is cheap. Hope is powerful." - Futurist Jim Carroll

Throughout my career, I've often made fun of many motivational speakers.
I certainly see a lot of them - they are often on the agenda with me at the conferences and events at which I speak. And look, there are some really good ones - they could motivate you to run across the Sahara in a bathing suit while eating broccoli. At the same time, many just have a bit of a schtick. I find they are a little bit like Chinese food - you are wildly surprised and super-motivated for an hour and then kind of forget about it. And besides, I don't think walking on fire bricks can make you a better person.

With that bit of cynicism out of the way - and I'm sure they can lob lots right back at us futurists - I will admit that I have billed myself for a time as a "motivational futurist." That's not a stretch - after all, my job is not just to help people understand the trends that define tomorrow, but to give them some motivation as to what to do to get there.

That type of thing is also the role of anyone in any type of leadership position - your job is to motivate people to align with what comes next. The simple facts behind this reality are simple. Leaders lead. They set the tone. They establish the vision. They guide the path forward. They motivate their team. They inspire them to do what's necessary. Leadership is all about lifting people up, and not letting fear drag them down.

And all of this becomes ten times more important during a time of volatility, chaos, and uncertainty. Why? In a downturn, people lose sight of the future because of fear and uncertainty. The lack of clarity and the relentless pounding of news headlines and social media posts means that fear is accentuated.

Think about it: everyone on the team is worried, cautious, and seeking clarity—at a time when clarity is in short supply. They're confused, stressed, and looking for signs of guidance. Without it, they spin their wheels. In times of uncertainty, this becomes a deadly mix:

- fear spreads faster than facts.
- caution hardens into paralysis.
- people stop moving toward opportunity—and start freezing around problems.
- without strong leadership, a team’s mindset collapses inward.
- the survival instinct takes over.
- momentum evaporates.

That's why, in a downturn, the most important role of a leader in this circumstance is to fill in the gaps - the gaps in confidence, courage, clarity, and commitment.

---
Futurist Jim Carroll still considers himself to be a motivational futurist, but doesn’t suggest that people walk on fire stones to find their tomorrow.

**#Hope** **#Leadership** **#Motivation** **#Fear** **#Uncertainty** **#Vision** **#Momentum** **#Future** **#Progress** **#Empathy**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/04/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-in-a-time-of-uncertainty-fear-is-cheap-hope-is-powerful/

An organization fears connecting when its leaders prize control, creating disconnects between members' wants & needs and the form of its meetings

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/leadership/2024/04/fear-connecting

#leadership #fear #connection #eventprofs #assnchat

“Contrary to popular belief, [#courage] is not the absence of #fear; it's the decision to move alongside it.”

- @Daojoan

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/there-is-no-right-time-there-is-only-now-plus-courage/

#magicthegathering #mtg #Fear #MarkPoole

Most #corporate #media #American #Journalists outright #refuse to ask #Republican #politicians how they #justify #illegal #unconstitutional #barbaric actions of the #Trump #GOP #MAGA #regime.

It's a THING.

They're being told NOT to do it out of #fear, #intimidation or because of loss of #access or advertising revenue.

https://www.europesays.com/2023294/ Small business consultant instructs Houghton Country groups on financial statements #america #business #CHAMBER #fear #Finance #gain #Group #Houghton #instruction #Keweenaw #Learn #loss #lunch #Presentation #Regional #small #spring #statement #summer #teaching #tourism #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #US #USA