The Story Of Alex Honnold, The Fearless Man

Alex Honnold’s case is itself one of the most puzzling cases in neuroscience. He is the exception to a rule. One of the fears we all come into the world with is the fear of falling. That’s why even newborn babies experience scares if they feel they are being thrown into a void.

This is an instinctive fear. Come with us inside the genetic package. Falls endanger our integrity and our lives. That’s why biology intervenes and puts fear as a warning sign for the risk of falling.

The weird thing about Alex Honnold is that he’s not afraid of falling. He is a 32-year-old climber, born in the United States. He became famous because he climbs without any measures of protection or safety. In fact, it scales alone. Those who do this practice know that doing it alone puts them in a state of extreme vulnerability. It’s almost suicidal.

However, for Alex Honnold, this is the most normal thing in the world. When he climbs a stone wall, with no help but his hands, he feels like he’s drinking coffee. Do not feel fear or nervousness of any kind. This caused his brain to be studied by neurologists.

This is Alex Honnold

Every climb from Alex Honnold is a challenge to death. He likes surfaces that are almost vertical. He dresses in basic sportswear. He only carries around his waist a bag full of magnesium, to rub his hands when they get wet. He climbs with the only help of his hands and feet.

Honnold already holds several world records. Its mode is individual free climbing. He’s not the only one in the world who does this, but he’s the only one to do it at great heights, with a high level of difficulty.

His appearance is that of a normal boy. His attitude reflects that he doesn’t feel different or special. He laughs a lot and is very quiet. He knows that the activity he performs is dangerous. Several of his friends died trying climbs like the ones he does. When asked if he is not afraid, he says that he simply accepted the idea of ​​death better than others.

His mother says he was a difficult child to raise, but he denies it. From a very young age he climbed everywhere. At age 10, he started practicing on a climbing wall. Soon he began to make short trips towards the mountains. From the age of 19, he dropped everything and started climbing full time. He lives in a van and says he has a minimalist ethic.

Alex Honnold’s Brain

This young man’s exploits attracted so much attention that a group of researchers decided to study his brain. It all started when neurologist Jane E. Joseph heard the testimony of Alex Honnold. From what he told her and the way he did it, she thought maybe there was something wrong with her brain. Particularly in your amygdala, which is the “fear center” in your brain.

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine decided to examine Alex Honnold’s brain. They “scanned” his brain with an MRI. The first thing the investigators did was to verify that the boy had amygdala and that it had no damage.

The next thing was to present him with a series of highly impressive images and gauge his reaction. Then they noticed that Honnold’s amygdala barely activated. He didn’t even change. It was as if the dangerous situations presented to him had no emotional impact on him.

An interesting overview

The researchers were able to prove that, in fact, Alex Honnold is basically fearless. However, these conclusions led them to formulate some interesting hypotheses.

According to his assessments, it is likely that Alex’s brain has adapted so much to unsupported climbing that he has become used to these stimuli. Therefore, what for others is a risky environment is for them a completely normal situation.

This conclusion opens up new possibilities for research around fear. Basically, the thesis was formed that habituation is a way to eliminate fear. If someone is gradually and systematically exposed to a dangerous stimulus, they may find it completely harmless. If this were the case, alternative therapies to treat fears would be greatly expanded.