Is our sense of how dangerous a fall can be a from a particular height something that we develop from childhood and experiences as we grow up, or something that is hardwired into our genetic makeup, or a combination of both?

The perception of the dangerousness of falls appears to be a mix of genetic predisposition and learned experiences, with a significant emphasis on the latter, from what can be understood from the insights of Andrew Huberman. He explains that individual variation in fear responses and the perception of danger from heights or falls is shaped largely by early life experiences. One bad fall can leave a long-lasting imprint, indicating that these learned experiences during childhood significantly influence fear perception. However, there are also genetic components that set a lower threshold for becoming traumatized or developing intense fears 1 2.

This perspective aligns with the concept that our sensory systems, which include the threat detection and learning system, are capable of attaching the threat reflex to a wide variety of inputs, creating a genetic and environmentally influenced framework for potential fears, including the fear of falls 2 3.

Additionally, neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to change in response to experiences, is quite active during childhood. This includes both the opportunity for learning and the potential for developing fears based on one-time experiences or an accumulation of experiences, which feeds into our long-term perception of certain situations as dangerous, such as fearing heights, based on past falls 4.

Overall, our perception of the danger associated with falls is likely a combination of both genetics and experiences that we accumulate from childhood and throughout our lives, with experiences playing an especially dynamic role in shaping our perception of fear and danger 3.