How a Simple Pen Can Help You Conquer Your Fear of Flying

Flying can be a never-ending nightmare for those who suffer from fears, anxieties, and stress while the plane is 'sailing' through the skies. No doubt, phenomena like air pockets or turbulence can be extremely stressful and terrifying, causing significant distress even if such occurrences are not frequent. So, what can be done about these fears?

A method currently being tested is highlighted on NBC News, where experiments are conducted to distract the brain during in-flight danger. Captain Ron Nielsen, a pilot with 40 years of experience who assisted with the intriguing study, shares a tip he believes impacts most people and has even proven itself in various simulators.

Nielsen volunteered to conduct his experiment on volunteers with severe flight anxieties, presenting the findings in a special report aired on NBC News. His volunteers were asked to hold a regular pen in the hand opposite to their writing hand and repeatedly scribble their name while sitting on a spinning chair. Surprisingly, most volunteers reported significant relief from fear while doing this. "The method works in two different ways," Nielsen explains with a smile. "On one hand, it distracts the volunteer from the danger they are in— in our case, turbulence. On the other hand, it 'activates' the motor function command in the brain, which serves as a distraction to the individual's thought process, and then they naturally don't focus on their fear but rather on the motor activity they're currently engaged in."

The peak of the experiment's success was reached when the report's producer, Joana Billington, tried the simulation and stated she felt much better using this method.