Scared to Death

According to The Press of Atlantic City you can actually be scared to death. It turns out that a good-enough scare can cause your demise, but probably not if you're of normal health.

Brian J. Hurlbut who teaches psychology at Southern Connecticut State University states "If it were to happen it would be someone with a precondition, a weak heart or an aneurysm in the brain." He continues by saying, "When you're scared a part of the nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, prepares your body for violent activity." This is commonly known as the fight-or-flight reflex.

There have been cases in which criminals have been charged with murder or manslaughter because their victims have died from heart attacks.

When there is a sudden threat of danger, your system "dumps adrenaline into your bloodstream," so that it goes to your muscles. At the same time, blood vessels in the skin and digestive system constrict so blood will also be directed to your muscles. That's partly why people lose their appetite when they are nervous or scared.

This article caught my eye because I am easily scared of things. Now I have an excuse as to why I can't go to haunted houses or ride roller coasters!