Do people get used to exposure or is it determined at birth?

[Gandalf69]

Its natural to be afraid of heights. That being said, dealing with exposure is different for everyone. Down climbing definitely feels more exposed than going uphill. Some people are more likely to be ok with exposure because of more experience climbing. Some people are only afraid of fear itself. "You want exposure, you can't handle the exposure!"

[greenonion]

determined at birth.

In my earlier post, I made the following comment; "For the most part, I don't think it's determined at birth though", but now that I think of it, at least some of it is.

I remember watching the movie Free Solo when they were talking about Alex Honnold's brain scans and there really was something about his brain that was different from others and it allowed him to have an abnormal control of his fear. So I guess at least sometimes, it can be determined at birth.

Am pretty sure they said that Honnold has a smaller (or maybe even non existent??) amygdala than most. That's the brain thing that detects fear. He's missing, or has a much smaller, fear detector.

As for getting used to exposure for us mere mortals... As Tom said, being more exposed to it over time has helped me. But I've also noticed that I look at exposure differently as I've gotten older than when I was a kid. Hard to explain how I've gotten better with it, while also respecting it more too, with age.

[cedica]

But I've also noticed that I look at exposure differently as I've gotten older than when I was a kid. Hard to explain how I've gotten better with it, while also respecting it more too, with age.

As far as getting used to it, it's hard to say. Exposure actually bothers me more than it used to.

I believe that's just good old P. J. O’Rourke's adage, clearly inspired by There Is a Light That Never Goes Out:

But if young, talented you, with all of life’s possibilities at your fingertips, you and the future Cheryl Tiegs there, so fresh, so beautiful – if the two of you stake your handsome heads on a single roll of the dice in life’s game of stop-the-semi – now that’s taking chances! Which is why old people rarely risk their lives. It’s not because they’re chicken – they just have too much dignity to play for small stakes.

[jrbren_vt]

Speaking for myself, I know I am at least 2 sigma on the wrong side of the agility and coordination bell curve. I have fallen on class 1 trails and dirt roads many times where the consequences are minimal. I am also much less "brave" now than I was 10-15 years ago (I am 56 now), and I was pretty conservative then. I still have a hard time standing up at the top of Pulpit Rock in COS. But I guess I have never really "had to" be brave with heights. It's been recreation for me. Living in NW COS now, when I am out jogging I watch in awe the paratrooper training over the nearby Air Force academy. I wonder what it was like for them the first time they had to jump out of an air plane, and I assume it's not optional in the Air Force, and how second nature it might be now ? Would that help with fears on steep terrain ?

[Ptglhs]

Human nature is quite malleable. Some people tend to function better in periods of intense stress. Colloquially they're known as adrenaline junkies. They're also called elite performers. Both do dangerous things, but the elite performer doesn't ignore their fear and continues to analyze and adjusts actions and plans based on conditions. Adrenaline junkies sometimes do stupid s**t and get lucky and live.

Fear of heights, deep water, being alone in the dark are all very normal, because there's an evolutionary advantage to avoid drowning, falling, being eaten, etc. Recognizing the feeling is a step in doing what you want, safely, despite the feeling. Focusing on specific actions and how to remain safe is good. "How's my footing? How does the route ahead look? What's the weather? If I have to bail out where's the safest exit?" All of those immeidate, situational, thoughts help alleviate fear. Focus on the immediate things you can control, and what you can do if stuff goes sideways. Perseverating on a big drop, or a 'what if' is going to prolong fear. A little fear is useful: it sharpens the senses and reminds you to take this seriously. A lot of fear is dangerous.

I think different people have innate fear reactions of differing severity, but everyone can work on using their active consciousness to regulate their subconcious, physical responses to stimuli.

[dan0rama]

This is a great question and I thought I'd chime in as my first post here. I'm not sure I'll say this right, but I find that certain fears aren't actually a fear of the thing itself, but rather of what it represents. For instance, if you are afraid of a via ferrata, even though you are at no risk of falling assuming you are correctly using proper equipment, you aren't afraid of exposure. I used to be afraid of flying way more than any exposure. The fear never kept me from flying but it made the experience very discomforting. To me flying represented a loss of control. I don't understand planes. I can't see what is going on. I can't rescue myself. Convincing myself that flying was safer than my frequent driving on I-70 after freezing rain was pointless. So I realized I wasn't afraid of flying, I was terrified of being helpless. Just like I have this irrational fear of being buried alive. I had a climber friend who once told me he was afraid of exposure bc if he falls and dies, he's concerned everyone will think he was a mediocre climber. You might think he is a narcissistic idiot, but he was actually being very self-aware.

Becoming self-aware and introspective, and practicing mindfulness, helps keep your mind from running through worst-case scenarios in your head. The habit of multitasking is such a bad one. It's the type of habit that perhaps enables high achievers build very successful careers and wealth. But it also emotionally handicaps us. You should also stop consuming alcohol and foods that suppress dopamine. If you are not leading a healthy life, your body will produce less testosterone to protect your immune system. One last obvious point is physical strength. Your control of your mind tends to decrease as you exert yourself harder and harder. One exercise I suggest is when you are scrambling up a relatively safe route, like class 2-3, focus your mind exclusively on your hand/foot placement. Move each limb purposefully and slowly. Don't let your mind wander anywhere else. If your mind is totally focused on the immediate task at hand, there won't be any available bandwidth for fear.

[-wren-]

Personally, I definitely grew into it. spending a lot of time outside slowly expanding my comfort zone - admittedly paired with being young and male and not having a fully developed prefrontal cortex - allowed me to go from being super gripped having to walk next to 100-200 feet of exposure to being comfortable on extremely exposed 4th/low 5th class terrain in the span of about 18 months.

[JaredJohnson]

My first 14er was Longs Peak and I was absolutely terrified on the ledges and the narrows, literally praying and imagining myself careening off the side. But I summitted and was fascinated by the experience and the fear so I got into mountaineering and now those sections and much harder stuff are no big deal and pretty fun. There is definitely some element of adaptability when it comes to exposure tolerance and even exposure enjoyment

[madbuck]

If it's not clear in the previous comments, it's "both."
The Alex Honnold example (also see "The Alpinist") show some genetic contributions at the extremes, combined with experience.
Simply, I think it's similar to Angela Duckworth's "Grit" formula: Skill = Talent x Effort. Achievement = Skill * Effort
(but substitute "Effort" with "Experience")

If you are extremely, inherently exposure-averse, you probably won't enjoy repeated experiences enough to keep after it.
If you are extremely comfortable with it, you may have discovered that already and realized you can capitalize on it.
For most people in the middle, working up progressively will get you more comfortable, as well as being surrounded by people that normalize it. You'll start to trust your capabilities and familiarity.

Looking back, my first time on Longs gave me some pause in a few places. Even worse, in all honesty, my first times on Horsetooth Mountain (!) raised my heart rate, coming from relatively little background. Dozens of times since then in all kinds of weather, I don't think about it.

Reminds me of skiing: I have to remind myself thinking certain Blue or easy Black runs at ski resorts used to look super steep to me. Or mountain biking. Eventually you reset your definition of "steep," just like you reset your definition of "scary exposure."

Still, I have friends who are much more comfortable and adept. And since I don't do extra "stuff" beyond them, I'll never catch up to their comfort level. That's OK, too.

[desertdog]

I think we all get fearful on different days, and it varies by the person. I always laugh inside when I hear people brag that they aren't afraid of exposure. I do believe that the more experience you gain the less it gets to most people. I've noticed it bothers me way less the more recent climbing I've been doing.

Fear of exposure is just God's way of saying "be careful".

[mgl45]

Thanks everyone for your advice and personal stories! That helps me a lot in figuring out how to proceed.

[Wentzl]

Having read through this thread I have been persuaded that Scott P is correct. As you have framed your question, the correct answer is "it is both".

So I suspect you are really wondering how people who fear heights (determined at birth) overcome that predisposition (get used to it).