Many people are afraid of spiders. We are not talking about large hairy tarantulas here, but about common cross spiders or even harvestmen. These spiders are completely harmless and these people usually know that themselves. Yet they cannot control their fear when they see a spider walking. Fear of snakes is also common, although most people in our country have never seen one in real life and the chance of encountering a poisonous snake in the Netherlands is minimal.
Why are so many people afraid of spiders and snakes and not other animals such as flies or lizards?
Everyone knows someone who is afraid to enter the bedroom after seeing a spider there. Maybe you are such a person yourself. These extreme cases may be exceptions. Yet most people have a strong aversion to spiders. Just think of those large black spiders that often live in damp areas in the house (the night teasel spider). Although this spider is by no means a threat, many people are horrified by it.
What is the reason for this irrational fear of spiders and snakes, and why are fears of other animals such as flies or lizards so rare?
Are spiders and snakes scary because they move fast and are ugly?
A frequently suggested explanation for the fear of spiders is that they look ugly and that they make fast, unpredictable movements. Furthermore, snakes and spiders are often said to inspire fear because they look so completely different from humans. However, these descriptions apply to many animals. Some types of flies are also lightning fast and unpredictable. And it cannot be said that they are very similar to humans. The same goes for lizards, and many other animal species. Yet fear of these species is not common.
These explanations do not seem to adequately explain the common fear of spiders and snakes. According to psychologists, the answer can be found in human evolution.
Programmed to fear certain species
The fact that people are more likely to develop a fear or even a phobia of snakes and spiders than of generally harmless animals can be traced back to evolution, according to evolutionary psychologists. Humans are said to be pre-programmed to fear these animals. To survive in an environment where many poisonous snakes and spiders lurked, it was very important for man’s ancestors to quickly recognize and fear these animals. Because those who could do this well had a better chance of survival, this trait became deeply ingrained in the human brain. This statement is supported by various scientific studies.
Clues from experiments
Spiders and snakes ‘catch the eye’
In an experiment by Öhman and Mineka (2001), photos were shown to test subjects in the form of a slide show. They had to indicate by pressing a button whether a spider, snake, mushroom or flower could be seen in the photos. It turned out that with snakes and spiders it did not matter whether they were in the center of the photo or in a corner, they were recognized just as quickly. Mushrooms and flowers were recognized more quickly when they were in the center than when they were depicted on the side or in a corner. This difference indicates that the snakes and spiders literally stand out in contrast to mushrooms and flowers. This conclusion supports the statement that fear of spiders and snakes can be traced back to evolution: for the distant ancestors of humans it was of vital importance so as not to be surprised by a spider or snake lurking around.
Rhesus monkeys learn very quickly to fear fake snakes, but do not develop a fear of toy rabbits or flowers
Rhesus monkeys not raised in the wild are not naturally afraid of snakes. But after watching a movie in which a wild-raised rhesus monkey reacts fearfully at the sight of a toy snake, they quickly develop a fear of snakes. This was demonstrated by Susan Mineka and her colleagues in 1984 (2). The striking thing was that when watching edited film images in which the wild monkey apparently reacts fearfully to flowers or to a toy rabbit, the rhesus monkeys that had not grown up in the wild did not develop a fear of these objects. This finding is also a strong indication that fear of snakes is pre-programmed in the brain.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that the fear of spiders and snakes does not seem to be purely a consequence of the appearance of these animals or their way of moving. The knowledge that these animals can be life-threatening cannot be the cause either. After all, spiders in the Netherlands are not life-threatening. Moreover, according to this reasoning, cars, gas stoves or electrical sockets, which can all also be life-threatening, would also cause fear in many people.
The evolutionary explanation provides the best explanation for the common irrational fear of spiders and snakes. So we can assume that this fear is pre-programmed in the human brain.