It and fare

It = ? (See the largest size font below)
Fare = ?

Context:

This could explain why interest has come into its own in the modern world. It can be seen as a counterbalance to the fear and anxiety that surrounds unfamiliar experiences. Without interest we would shy away from new or complicated things because they tend to make us nervous. "This makes sense if we think in terms of evolutionary history, as unfamiliar situations could often be dangerous," says Silvia. "But in the modern world, it would be disastrous because we couldn't flourish intellectually."

Another strong argument for interest deserving a status boost is that it can go wrong. One criterion that some psychologists use to define a basic emotion is that it should have associated aberrations or pathologies. Excessive fear, for example, generates panic or chronic anxiety. Likewise, too much interest results in repetitive, consuming and compulsive behaviour.

So how does interest fare in the emotions league? As naturally curious creatures, we experience it daily and devote a lot of time and brainpower to things that interest us. That alone could make it a major emotional player. But the real power of interest, according to Silvia, lies in its ability to keep us engaged in our frenetic lives rather than becoming overwhelmed by information overload. That's also a reason for trying to understand what stimulates interest. "We have to find ways of helping people learn, to keep them from becoming anxious and tuning out in the face of this monstrous amount of information," he says.