in your own words, explain how understanding your fight, flight, or freeze response can help you be a smart consumer.

Understanding the fight, flight, or freeze response can help someone be a smart consumer by making them aware of how their brain reacts instinctively to stress or perceived threats, such as pressure to buy something. This awareness enables them to recognize when their decisions are being driven by impulse or emotional reactions, rather than rational need. For example, consumers might feel the urge to buy unnecessary items to relieve stress or fit in with others, but knowing about these responses helps them pause, question their motivations, and avoid unnecessary spending. These responses originate in the brain's amygdala, which quickly assesses threats and triggers fight (confront the threat), flight (escape the threat), or freeze (become immobile) reactions. In consumer contexts, these reactions might be triggered by marketing tactics or social pressures, leading to impulsive purchases. Being conscious of this process allows individuals to engage the prefrontal cortex—the thinking part of the brain—to make more careful, objective decisions that better align with their needs and financial goals. Thus, understanding these natural stress responses empowers consumers to counteract biased or automatic buying impulses and become more thoughtful, deliberate shoppers, ultimately saving money and avoiding regret.