BOO! Did that startle you? Of course not. But if you received a sharp blow from behind, the chances are that almost instantly your eyes would close, your heart rate shoot up, your breathing quicken, your neck and shoulders tense, the muscles in your chest and stomach stiffen, your elbows stick out and your hands clench.
These are the classic signs of the startle response, which protects us from bodily harm. The response (or reflex) may have evolved to limit the damage caused by predators attacking us from behind, or from falling coconuts or jackfruit. Unfortunately, even the best evolutionary…
