Freeze Response

GLOSSARY

A complete absence of movement except for movements associated with respiration and tense body posture that result from increased muscle tone in this defensive state. The freeze response is a form of behavioural inhibition accompanied by parasympathetically dominated heart rate deceleration; fight-or-flight reactions are associated with sympathetically driven heart rate acceleration.

A blue fish frozen inside a clear square ice cube, representing cold storage or fresh seafood preservation.
A blue fish frozen inside a clear square ice cube, representing cold storage or fresh seafood preservation.

Reference:

Roelofs, K. (2017). Freeze for action: neurobiological mechanisms in animal and human freezing. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 372(1718), 20160206. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0206