4 ms·

Yes, someone is similar. Utterly fascinating. Spooks the shit out of me. My take is, this is too widely shared a phobia not to have some solid genetic underpinn

Yes, someone is similar. Utterly fascinating. Spooks the shit out of me. My take is, this is too widely shared a phobia not to have some solid genetic underpinning.

nolroz 9y ago
You might be on to something! http://www.cbs.mpg.de/Fear-of-spiders-and-snakes-is-deeply-embedded-in-us http://www.cbs.mpg.de/Fear-of-spiders-and-snakes-is-deeply-e...
- andrewl 9y ago
  There's a concept in psychology called preparedness which suggests that we are biologically prepared to learn certain things. I don't have time to track down the actual research, but I remember reading years ago about an experiment with monkeys. They had been born and raised in captivity and had never encountered any environmental dangers. The researchers paired images of flowers and a harmless, but unpleasant, electric shock, or images of snakes and the shock. After many trials the monkeys learned to fear images of flowers. It took very few trials for them to begin fearing images of snakes. I'm sure I'm not doing justice to the concept or the research, but those are the very basics of it.
  - blattimwind 9y ago
    In theses parts it would be incredibly difficult to find a spider that would technically be able to hurt a human (or any bigger mammal, like a cat or a dog); yet many humans (especially females) are scared shitless of spiders. I've never understood that, to me spiders are a net positive, since they eat annoying insects (like flies). Perhaps these deeply-rooted fears stem from times were humans lived in places far more dangerous, with far more potent spiders and snakes. (Snakes don't even exist here, but legless lizards do, and people are of course scared of them; that kind of lizard won't even attempt to bite something as big as a human, and as usual, they are useful animals to have around).

4 ms·

Yes, someone is similar. Utterly fascinating. Spooks the shit out of me. My take is, this is too widely shared a phobia not to have some solid genetic underpinn

by interfixus 9y ago

Yes, someone is similar. Utterly fascinating. Spooks the shit out of me. My take is, this is too widely shared a phobia not to have some solid genetic underpinning.

nolroz 9y ago
You might be on to something! http://www.cbs.mpg.de/Fear-of-spiders-and-snakes-is-deeply-embedded-in-us http://www.cbs.mpg.de/Fear-of-spiders-and-snakes-is-deeply-e...
- andrewl 9y ago
  There's a concept in psychology called preparedness which suggests that we are biologically prepared to learn certain things. I don't have time to track down the actual research, but I remember reading years ago about an experiment with monkeys. They had been born and raised in captivity and had never encountered any environmental dangers. The researchers paired images of flowers and a harmless, but unpleasant, electric shock, or images of snakes and the shock. After many trials the monkeys learned to fear images of flowers. It took very few trials for them to begin fearing images of snakes. I'm sure I'm not doing justice to the concept or the research, but those are the very basics of it.
  - blattimwind 9y ago
    In theses parts it would be incredibly difficult to find a spider that would technically be able to hurt a human (or any bigger mammal, like a cat or a dog); yet many humans (especially females) are scared shitless of spiders. I've never understood that, to me spiders are a net positive, since they eat annoying insects (like flies). Perhaps these deeply-rooted fears stem from times were humans lived in places far more dangerous, with far more potent spiders and snakes. (Snakes don't even exist here, but legless lizards do, and people are of course scared of them; that kind of lizard won't even attempt to bite something as big as a human, and as usual, they are useful animals to have around).