Why are so many humans (myself included) afraid of spiders? Arachnophobia consistently lands in the top 10 most-common phobias. Why? Especially when there aren’t *that* many deadly species of them? Why spiders over other animals?
In: Biology
There are a few theories as to why so many people are scared of spiders. One is that fear of spiders is an evolutionary trait that helped our ancestors survive. Spiders can be venomous and potentially dangerous, so being scared of them could have helped our ancestors avoid getting bitten
Another theory is that spiders are a bit unpredictable in their movements and appearance. Their ability to move quickly and in unexpected ways can trigger a fear response in some people. Additionally, their multiple legs and eyes can make them look alien and creepy to some
Overall, it’s likely a combination of these factors that contribute to arachnophobia being so common, even though the actual danger posed by spiders is relatively low
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