Fear Itself

“Dozier gives us fear from soup to nuts. Everything from everyday worries to thrill seeking to pathological anxiety is covered . . . a good read.” —Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain

In Fear Itself, Pulitzer-nominated science author Rush W. Dozier, Jr., takes on such challenging questions as: What is fear? Where does it originate? What purpose does it serve? He reveals how our daily lives are shaped by fear, and yet, how it also pushes us to fulfill our greatest potential. Succeeding in making complicated points of modern neuroscience both accessible and fascinating, Dozier takes us on a thrilling journey through the science of the brain and the everyday reality of this most human emotion.

“A tautly written, engrossing narrative. Dozier provides a much-needed antidote to the current hyperrationalism that underestimates the influence of fear on our most ‘reasonable’ thoughts and actions.” —Richard M. Restak, MD, New York Times–bestselling author of The Complete Guide to Memory

“Dozier ranges widely and illustrates vividly . . . [his] anecdotal material about fear is memorable, and his speculations are provocative.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An extremely readable and authoritative text that will appeal to a broad audience—especially to anyone who has ever wondered why we do the things we do.” —Thomas Albright, PhD, Director of the Sloan Center for Theoretical Neurobiology at the Salk Institute