Fear vs. Anxiety: What’s the Difference?

What Is Fear?

Fear functions as an alerting system that can shield us from danger and provide us with some leeway to make appropriate decisions such as to stay or leave a hazardous situation.^{1, 2} Fear automatically kicks in as a response to a real or perceived mental or physical threat to our well-being or safety. It plays a vital role in how we manage stress and detect hazards in our environment.

Fear is an emotion believed to have evolved to increase our probabilities of staying safe when faced with a threatening situation. When someone experiences fear, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, and stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released, priming us to either stay and address the concern or escape the event. This reaction is known as the fight-or-flight response, which is deemed to be essential to survival.^{1, 2}

If someone feels a disproportionate level of fear or has a heightened sensitivity to possible threats, that may indicate a chronic psychological condition like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).^{3, 4, 5}

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a natural human emotion in response to a stressful or perceived threatening situation. Anxiety is thought to have evolved to protect us from future endangerment because it alerts us when there is a threat in the future. This cue allows us to make the necessary adjustments and take appropriate measures to cope with the stressors or risks in our environment.

Without anxiety, we would get into trouble, make poor decisions, or neglect life’s responsibilities and obligations. While anxiety may feel unpleasant, a reasonable amount can be useful and even healthy. Short spurts of anxiety can urge us to think through our choices and actions, solve day-to-day problems, and remain productive within society.^{1, 2}

Sometimes, anxious feelings can emerge if you believe you are in danger. In other instances, higher levels of anxiety may be prompted by an overreaction to a threat you perceive as more serious than it really is. These disproportionate reactions usually produce unwarranted, intense, and frequent feelings of anxiety. These reactions are reflected in self-destructive behaviors such as avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations, obsessive worrying or overthinking, social isolation, or dependent behaviors like substance misuse or overeating.^{1, 2, 3}

Is Anxiety Fear?

Many people would agree that there is tremendous overlap between anxiety and fear. Anxiety can certainly make people fearful, and fear can make people feel anxious, but they are different concerns with unique roots and consequences.

Fear vs Anxiety: Key Differences

Fear produces the most obvious, immediate effects because our attention is focused on staying safe. When we are frightened, we feel agitated due to the physical symptoms associated with the fight-or-flight response. This fight-or-flight response is usually extreme and easily recognizable, and thus is more aligned with fear rather than anxiety.^{1, 3, 4}

Fear Goes Away After the Fear-Inducing Event

When we experience fear, we can also feel a sudden surge of mental or emotional distress such as feeling shocked and overwhelmed, as well as different behavioral reactions including aggression or violence. Fear is a protective mechanism enabling us to manage adverse or unpredictable circumstances in the moment. However, once the threat is no longer present, our fear will usually dissipate.^{1, 3}

Fear & Anxiety Feel Similar in Your Body

Anxiety can also produce similar physiological and emotional effects as fear, which is why it is challenging to differentiate between them sometimes.

Fear Is Immediate, Anxiety is Future-Oriented

Fear is an automatic neurophysiologic response rooted in the present. It is a feeling of alarm that is induced by perceived or imminent danger—whether real or perceived. Anxiety is linked to fear, and is a future-oriented mood state that prepares your body for anticipated and perceived threats. It comprises complex biopsychosocial responses. Importantly, anxiety can present even when the stressor is no longer present.^{1, 4}

Chronic Anxiety Has Long-Lasting Effects

Another way anxiety differs from fear is that enduring severe and extended periods of anxiousness can have long-lasting physical, mental, and emotional implications. These implications include fatigue, migraines, digestive issues, sleep disturbances, restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, inability to control worries and overthinking.^{3, 4}