Abstract

Bond determines what befuddles people's brains when the unthinkable happens, and can they do anything about it. Prior knowledge is crucial, because when disaster strikes, their brain is in no state for rational deliberation. It takes just seconds for adrenaline to flood into their bloodstream, pushing their heart rate up from about 70 beats per minute to over 200. Then the body's central stress system releases the hormone cortisol, boosting blood sugar levels and suppressing non-essential functions such as digestion. This evolved fight or flight mechanism prepares them for physical action, but inhibits areas of the brain that govern working memory and process new information. In other words, it primes them to act but not to think. With their cognitive faculties hobbled, if the threatening situation is one they have never been in before, there's little chance of figuring out a solution.

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