Scared to death?

The fight-or-flight response is meant to protect us from harm, right?

But can it kill us? Can we literally be scared to death?

Doesn't this sound like the kind of question likely to come up during an A&P class?

Scientific American magazine recently asked this question when an elderly North Carolina woman suffered a heart attack when surprised by an escaping bank robber . . . and the authorities charged the man in the death of the woman for "scaring her to death."

Find out what the experts say . . . a great application of A&P that you can share with your students.

Can a person be scared to death?
by C. Ballantyne Scientific American online January 30, 2009

[AP report on the North Carolina story]

Of related interest . . .

Factoring Fear: What Scares Us and Why

Can We Control Our Fears?

Heart Attack Panic

Why Do We Panic?