Cortical Reaction to Crisis: How Media Shapes Emotional Processing

by Aisha Subzwari

You’re sipping your coffee and scrolling through your phone when a shocking headline grabs your attention: “Deadly disease spreading: Millions at risk.” Your stomach drops. You tap the link and before finishing the lengthy article, you sent it to several group chats. Or you start to feel sick and look up your symptoms only to find out you’ll be dying very soon. Sound familiar?

In our hyperconnected world, fear isn’t just lurking in the shadows it blasts through social media posts, news headlines, word of mouth, etc. As someone who aspires to become a surgeon, I’ve seen how fear based messaging can shape how people think, speak, and even how they seek care. When fear is used irresponsibly, it doesn’t just awareness it can hijack the brain. Let’s just say, if fear were a roommate, it would leave take over your personal space and leave the lights on. Constantly.

Fear is one of the brain’s most primal defense mechanism. It’s not just a simple feeling it’s a full body reaction that can trigger our fight or flight. The amygdala, which is located deep in the temporal lobe, serves as a command center for detecting threats. When we perceive danger, real or imagined, the amygdala lights up, signaling the hypothalamus. And brainstem to release cortisol and adrenaline. However, our brains can’t always tell the difference between us being held at gunpoint and a scary news headline. Both activate the same neural circuitry, whether we’re running from danger or panicking about vaccine side effects.

Interestingly, studies have shown that people with high anxiety levels also exhibit heightened activity in their insular cortex, a region involved in sensing bodily states (LeDoux, 2000). This makes them more sensitive to physical symptoms, which can lead to a vicious cycle: anxiety leads to hyperawareness of the body, which leads to more anxiety. In medicine, we must understand this loop and interrupt it with calm, clear, and reassuring communication.

The consequence of this overstimulation extend beyond momentary anxiety. Chronic fear, according to Jamie Rosenberg (2023), has psychological effects that manifest in the immune, cardiovascular, and endocrine system. Elevated cortisol levels over long periods of time contribute to high blood pressure, suppressed immune defenses, and even memory issues. Fear doesn’t just visit, it moves in and rearranges your brains structure.

In chapter 1 of Neurobiology of emotion by Møller, it explains how fear can be misdirected. People are often more afraid of unlikely events than statistical dangerous threats. The media plays a huge role in this misdirection. Clickbait thrives on the worst case scenario, causing out amygdala to go into overdrive.

A prime example of this would be the case of Andrew Wakefield’s now debunked study linking the MMR vaccine to autism. Though it was retracted, it caused media fires(Godlee et al, 2011). Eventually it led to plummeting vaccination rates and outbreaks of preventable diseases. This is kind of response is known as “human made fear,” fear which was created or amplified by others.( Møller, 2019)

Our brains are not meant to be in a constant state of alarm. When our brains are repeatedly exposed to fear-inducing media it can potentially rewire the brain. The amygdala becomes hyper responsive causing the prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain that helps us evaluate the threat rationally, becomes sidelined. (LeDoux, 2000). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were non-stop alerts, headlines, conversations that led to something some may call “headline stress.” Even people who were low risk were paralyzed by fear. In chapter 4 of Møller’s book emphasizes how long term fear disrupts emotional regulation and even impairs immune function.

Let’s be real, nobody wants to hear their doctor say, “This is going to hurt, but try not to panic.” As a future surgeon, my job will involve explaining complex procedures. I intend to educate people rather than terrify them. That means knowing how the brain reacts to certain information and using that knowledge to foster calm instead of chaos. Many people come into the hospital already anxious because of all the things they read online or heard from their peers. By understanding the neuroscience behind fear I’ll be better equipped to meet people with empathy. Instead of saying “If we don’t do this surgery, you will die.” A less scary way would be, “Here is what we are dealing with, and these are the next best steps.”

One of the best tools against fear is education. When people understand how the amygdala, memory, and sensory input operate in the brain. they can gain a sense of control. Public health message should incorporate more science to help people better understand what they are dealing with. As Møller states, “Fear should be proportional to the actual risk.” But to do that, we need to reframe how we communicate risk. Not everything needs a red banner and all caps. Sometimes, calm facts can do a better job at getting the point across.

The role of schools and community outreach cannot be overstated either. Early education on emotional regulation, media literacy, and brain health can build resilience from a young age. A child who learns that their brain sometimes tricks them into overreacting to fear can grow into an adult who pauses before panicking. These lessons don’t just improve mental health they create more thoughtful, empowered adults

Another important factor discussed in the book is the role of learning in fear. Fear can be learned from others, through observation. For example, watching someone else react in fear can make us fear the same thing, even without a direct experience. This is crucial in media messaging—because if everyone on TV is panicking, we’re more likely to panic too.

With continued research and thoughtful communication, fear can become something we guide, not something we’re governed by. Most importantly, this knowledge can help change the culture of medicine itself. Future doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals need to be trained to say things that heal not just the body, but the emotional state too.

References

• Møller , Aage R. Neurobiology of Fear and Other Emotions. Aage R. Møller Publishing., 2019.
• Wakefield’s Article Linking MMR Vaccine and Autism Was Fraudulent | the BMJ, www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452.
• JE, LeDoux. “Emotion Circuits in the Brain.” Annual Review of Neuroscience, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10845062/.
• BMJ, bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/14/5/e085312.full.pdf.
• Rosenberg, Jaime. “The Effects of Chronic Fear on a Person’s Health.” AJMC, AJMC, 20 Dec. 2023, www.ajmc.com/view/the-effects-of-chronic-fear-on-a-persons-health.