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We are afraid of snakes and spiders from birth

26.10.2017

Even small children, who know almost nothing about the world around them, react nervously to pictures of snakes and spiders.

Very, very many of us are afraid of snakes and spiders - albeit not to the point of immediate fainting, but still. However, where does arachnophobia with ophidiophobia (or fear of snakes) come from? Someone believes that we learn to be afraid of spiders and snakes while we grow up, that is, these fears are acquired. Someone, on the contrary, believes that both are innate features of the psyche. On the one hand, it seems that everything is quite simple to find out here: you need to analyze when ophidiophobia and arachnophobia manifest themselves in the process of growing up.

And such experiments were repeatedly carried out: the children were shown images, among which there were pictures with spiders and snakes, and they watched the reaction. If a child noticed a dangerous object faster than something peaceful and harmless, it means that a mental program is already working in him, instructing him to be afraid of these creatures. But such studies usually involve quite large children, so that doubt inevitably arises whether the fear of snakes and spiders is really innate in them, or whether they have already learned it.

Psychologists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Brain and Cognitive Research, the University of Vienna and the University of Uppsala have found a way to solve this mystery. And they solved it simply - with the help of six-month-old babies. At this age, you should not expect from a child that he managed to learn something about spiders and snakes - he has not yet learned the world around him so well. Children were shown pictures of spiders or flowers in one version, or snakes or fish in another, and psychological reactions to the picture were assessed by changes in pupil size. Pupils are known to dilate when aroused, when we experience strong emotions and stress. At pictures of spiders and snakes, children's pupils noticeably dilated; in other words, even very young children can be worried about snakes and spiders.

At the same time, it is known from earlier studies that young children are not afraid of bears, rhinos, or any other potentially dangerous animals. Apparently, the fear of snakes and spiders is "sewn" into our brains by evolution. Obviously, the whole point is that once upon a time the ancestors of people for a very long time lived side by side with such snakes and spiders, which were really worth fearing. As for the larger predators, compared to snakes and spiders, they probably did not annoy the ancient great apes so much and not for so long.

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