Neuroscience faculty was part of Fifteen international scholars participating in a two-day workshop sponsored by the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience and held in in the National Capital Region.

The group that gathered at the Virginia Tech Research Center -- Arlington  represented the fields of neuroscience, the social sciences, and political science.
“The relationships between risk, fear, and resilience cannot be examined by any one discipline and need to be looked at across scales, from the brain to the larger society,” said Jim Bohland, principal research associate of the Global Forum. “There are too many vectors in place due to political, economic, social, behavioral, and environmental patterns that form contemporary life to be shortsighted in our approach.”

Genetics, early life trauma during critical periods of brain development, and how close one actually comes to a risky or dangerous situation are just a few factors that can influence an individual’s propensity toward anxiety and fear.

“No two people are really alike. When encountered with the same stress factors, one individual might develop vulnerabilities, like depression and anxiety, while another becomes resilient," said Sarah Clinton, associate professor in the School of Neuroscience at Virginia Tech.

The workshop attendees also explored the idea that people are often taught to be afraid of certain things. Christine Bachrach, a research professor in sociology at the University of Maryland, pointed out that certain groups in our society profit from fear. These include political groups, especially those based in nationalism or racism.

Fear is often fueled by social and political forces, the group agreed, but being able to distinguish between the possibility and probability of a risk or danger can help alleviate fear and anxiety.

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