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Originally Posted by zenmaster10665
My thought is that it might have something to do with your genetic heritage...maybe the inherent dangers to your ancestors influence your own fears later on down the line. Maybe spiders were prolific and dangerous where my forefathers lived??
whatcha think?
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Discomfort around snakes and spiders is present across cultures. This might be explained by your evolutionary rationale. I'm not so sure about an evolutionary explanation of individual differences in discomfort around snakes and spiders.
Another interesting question: Why are snake and spider phobias so ubiquitous, but cigarette, electrical outlet, and car phobias so rare? More people die every year from cigarettes, electrical outlets and cars than from snakes and spiders.