Are you afraid of turbulence? I do – because I thought the airplane will crash – it won’t, because it’s illogical and irrational.

However, pilots do understand that turbulence is not even worthy enough to be called a problem.

Why some of us are so afraid of turbulence, if it’s not dangerous? Thomas Bunn wrote an interesting knol about anxiety about turbulence.

Thomas explained that it’s all due to The Reticular Activating System:

The reticular activating system (RAS) is involved in controlling sleep and wakefulness. It is the key that turns the brain on or off, more or less, though it would be better to say it is the key that turns the brain – and the body – up or down.

The RAS functions as information filter to us. If what is happening around us is ‘as expected’, the RAS signals no problem and ignores it. However, when something unexpected happens, the RAS alarms us to pay attention to the problem.

Here’s the interesting part that going on in our body when the RAS sounds the alarm:

If the incoming data is not just unfamiliar or unexpected, but shocking, the up-regulation is greater. It shuts down the digestive system so blood used for digestion can be sent to the muscles. Sweat is released to pre-cool the body in case maximum physical activity is required for survival. It causes you to freeze until you decide what to do. And, it causes you to focus on this moment and no other to help you decide what to do. That is the “fight or flight” response, which is built into all of us to help us protect ourselves when in danger, and when we imagine we are in danger.

Turbulence is considered as constantly “unexpectable” to the rest of us – for pilots, they are turbulence-proof because they ‘program’ themselves to pay attention to the turbulence, therefore their RAS will not signal anything unexpected.

Thomas offer a tip on how to handle turbulence anxiety – while you know that you dislike turbulence, bring the turbulence into your awareness:

Whenever you are going to be placing yourself in a new environment, an unfamiliar environment, or an environment full of stimuli, set up a plan on how you will approach that environment so that the rate at which you encounter the stimuli that is “unexpectable”, is under your control.

Image by p0psicle.