What are the five Fs associated with the sympathetic system?

• A. Fight, flight, freeze, fawn, fright
• B. Food, rest, digest, relax, sleep
• C. Fear, anger, sadness, joy
• D. Fast, furious, focused, fearless

Answer: (A)

Stress responses are governed by the sympathetic nervous system, and the five Fs summarize the common actions the body prepares under threat: fight, flight, freeze, fawn, fright. When danger is perceived, the body gears up for action by increasing heart rate and breathing, pumping blood to muscles, dilating pupils, and releasing energy. Fight and flight are about readying to confront or escape the threat, while freeze can help you become less detectable or buy time. Fawn describes submitting or appeasing the threat to reduce harm, and fright captures a sudden fearful reaction within the same arousal pattern. This set is a helpful mnemonic for understanding autonomic responses, and it contrasts with rest-and-digest activities driven by the parasympathetic system, like eating, digesting, resting, or sleeping. The other options describe emotions, or other nonstandard phrases, not the specific autonomic response pattern tied to threat.