Fear is a normal, spontaneous emotion in the perception of a threat here and now or in the near future, and it triggers self-protective behavioral reactions. However, when it is produced persistently and with an intensity disproportionate to the actual circumstances, it transforms into a phobia and becomes an obstacle to managing our daily lives.

On the other hand, anxiety is a more complex emotional state: it expresses an ingrained internal unease even though there is no specific threat here and now. It causes physical discomfort, mental overanalyzes, while sharing common mechanisms with fear and phobias.

In an era of pandemic outbreaks, technological and scientific leaps, as well as identity redistributions, an introduction to anxiety, fear, and their commonalities is extremely timely: it helps us understand what they are, how they are born, and how we can cope with panic attacks, agoraphobia, social and generalized anxiety, hypochondria, fear of death, obsessions, compulsions, and post-traumatic stress disorder.