"Humans who detected the presence of snakes very quickly would have been more likely to pass on their genes.". This is a reference tool that mental health professionals use when diagnosing different mental health issues or disorders. Snakes do not bite humans unprovoked. Fear of Snakes. More surprising, Isbell claims that the fear of snakes has driven the evolution of our excellent visual abilities. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Previously, anthropologists have suggested the need to notice snakes in the wild may have led early primates to develop better vision and larger brains. Why Do We Feel Fear? But a snake not feeling affection doesn’t mean that your pet snake doesn’t like you, or that it doesn’t like living the way it does. Visit our corporate site. Snakes have been known to show excitement and curiosity, too. Avoiding Snakes when Walking in the Great Outdoors Know when you're heading into snake territory. It may actually have multiple factors, each layered on top of the other, taking a latent (undeveloped) fear and turning it into something anxiety inducing. They can show fear by trying to get away, or by showing behavior similar to aggression. Much like other specific phobias, a fear of snakes can come from a variety of causes. Medication is best used in conjunction with regular talk therapy while treating your phobia. It can interfere with your life, making it difficult to be alone and sleep at night…. Emotions Fear and Pleasure. You’ll talk through different memories or experiences you have of your phobia to help them get a clear picture of your history. A mouse will stay away from area 1 if the scent from a predator is placed there. The only way to find out for sure is to take him/her to your vet. Snakes often generate fear. Beloved action hero Indiana Jones is known for fearlessly rushing into ancient ruins to rescue damsels and priceless artifacts, only to get the heebie-jeebies from a booby trap with snakes. Since snakes are often depicted as threatening or dangerous, a fear of snakes is considered a given — who wouldn’t be afraid of something that can kill you with one bite? But the best way to conquer our fears is to name them and face them. However, this does not address the issue of predisposition. Most people agree that if reptiles can feel emotion at all, fear and pleasure are where it starts. "The idea is that throughout evolutionary history, humans that learned quickly to fear snakes would have been at an advantage to survive and reproduce," said Vanessa LoBue, a post-doctoral fellow in psychology at the University of Virginia. Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias, yet many people have never seen a snake in person. You will receive a verification email shortly. "I have almost a phobia of snakes," DeLoache said. They don’t show emotions like love, or pleasure. And you may decide to explore a few different styles of treatment in conjunction with one another. "That’s why you don’t see lion and tiger and bear phobias as often. I soon learned that in order to feel comfortable around snakes I had to respect them, and respect comes from one simple step: getting educated. They can show aggression by hissing, or coiling their bodies. This makes sense, as they’ve always been a threat to the human species. The first step in learning your diagnosis is to discuss your symptoms and fears with your therapist. However, in the modern day, if you find you’re unable to function in your life or that you lose all control at the mere mention of a snake, you may be dealing with more than just the healthy respect a wild predator deserves. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. They can feel vibrations very well and may hear low-frequency airborne sounds as well. It is an extreme fear of snakes and type of specific phobia which belongs to a larger class of phobia known as herpetophobia. Persistent and Excessive Fear An ophidiophobic may feel anxiety due to either the presence or the anticipation of a snake. There was a problem. There is no single treatment for a specific phobia like ophidiophobia. "We also did a study with spiders and found the same effect," LoBue said. Studies have shown that snakes can hear sounds in the 80-600 Hz range, with some species hearing sounds up to 1000 Hz. Then, together, you can talk through different possible diagnoses to see which feels the closest to your own personal experience. It’s a symptom of many conditions. Afterward, you can decide together on possible treatment. The researchers think this ability helped humans survive in the wild. Most of these fears generate during an individual's childhood. With beta-blockers, your heartbeat pumps a little slowly, so if you have a panic or fear response, this can help you to feel calm and relaxed instead of spiraling. It would also have to be something that was around and dangerous while humans were evolving. Sedatives are prescription drugs to help you relax. Research shows that about five per cent of the population has a strong, paralyzing fear of snakes and spiders. A 2013 study even found that our brain is evolutionarily conditioned to be afraid of snake-like forms. This is quite unsettling for most people who fear snakes and may even invoke some symptoms of ophidiophobia in people who do not actually have the condition in its entirety. “Snakes!” he yells. "When I see a picture of a snake, I'm like, "Oh my God, eew! LoBue's collaborator, Judy DeLoache, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, happens to be petrified of snakes. It’s natural to be a bit afraid of venomous snakes, I myself have a healthy respect for them, but that doesn’t make me like them any less. In this case, you may talk through ways to reframe snakes so that they are no longer something to be feared. The snakes are hunted mostly because of their skins. All rights reserved. The reason is probably because snakes are so misunderstood. In this case, your fear of snakes may be diagnosed as a specific phobia, which means an intense fear or anxiety in response to a specific trigger, such as an animal, environment, or situation. Looking at the evidence, it just isn’t really possible for snakes to feel affection for their owners. Cook M and Mineka S. 1989. Dysmetria is a lack of coordination caused by the cerebellum not functioning properly. DeLoache J and LoBue V. 2009. We explain what it is, symptoms, treatment, and more. Atelophobia is the fear of being imperfect. The narrow fellow in the grass: Human infants associate snakes and fear. The scientific community and the hobbyist community both agree that snakes experience fear. Both groups were able to identify the hidden snake faster than the other hidden objects. The reason we got into this research was because I've always been fascinated by how it is that people develop it. It is simply asking the snake to do something that, as far as we can tell, the snake … Sadness is an emotion that involves the activation of various parts of the brain. I think a lot of this fear comes from misunderstanding. There's really no reason for this overwhelming disgust or hatred of snakes.". Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, “Why is it always snakes?”. "It would have to be something widespread, that you could encounter on a day-to-day basis," she said. You might go to a lecture by a herpetologist, someone who studies snakes, so you can learn more about the animals. Discover its causes and…. In some cases, you may try using a virtual reality system to be around a snake in a natural but digital space where it feels like you’re there, but nothing can truly hurt you. Typically snakes hiss or coil when they are feeling hostile, but most pet snakes are not aggressive animals unless threatened.” A reptile that is feeling fear may simply try to get away, but it can also exhibit actions similar to aggression. To learn more, the psychologists showed adults and 3-year-old children images of a snake surrounded by objects of similar colors, such as frogs, caterpillars and flowers. That is, this fear is not natural, but instead, "learned." © Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Understanding Coulrophobia: A Fear of Clowns, All About Phasmophobia, or Fear of Ghosts, Understanding Atelophobia, the Fear of Imperfection, What to Know About Scopophobia, or Fear of Being Stared At, Understanding the Fear of Loud Noises (Phonophobia), How to Cope with Ommetaphobia, or a Fear of Eyes, Understanding Heliophobia: Fear of Sunlight, sweating, especially in your extremities such as your palms, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. There are many people who fear the snakes but this is the same way that the snakes do fear the people. Then they showed them pictures of a frog or a flower surrounded by snakes. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. There are a few possible reasons why some people develop an intense phobia, while others may have a simple aversion and others still feel attracted to our serpent friends. Two of the most obvious emotions: fear and aggression. The fear of snakes is said to be the most common fear across people of the world. The two emotions snakes may feel that are most similar to human emotions, are aggression and fear. NY 10036. This may include exercising excessively, restricting food…. Mostly, fear glows when snakes detect attack from its assailant. It may also be a part of other conditions like autism spectrum disorder. "We don’t see snakes all the time. In extreme cases, photographs of snakes can be enough to trigger anxiety for a person with this disorder. snakes do not feel sad. New York, With this type of talk therapy, you work on setting short-term goals with your therapist to change patterns or problems in your thinking. This phobia can interrupt daily life and functioning. It seems that most large vertebrates can, certainly mammals can such as mice. If you have obesophobia, you might try to avoid weight gain through unhealthy behaviors. The question then arises: if we are born with an inborn sensitivity towards snakes, why do some love keeping them as pets, while others have an intense fear at the mere thought of a nearby snake?. Last medically reviewed on November 12, 2019, It's impossible to name all of the possible fears that people can have, but here's a list of the most common and unique ones, including a fear of…, The fear of clowns is called coulrophobia. No. Ophidiophobia is a partially irrational fear of snakes; refers to the subspecies of herpetophobia (fear of reptiles) which in turn belongs to the class of zoophobias – fears associated with animals. Even he was afraid of them. The brain processes images of snakes (bites, fangs, and venom) that leads to an unconscious, immediate fear reaction. Flying Snakes: New Videos Reveal How They Do It, Ancient Egyptian hoard of counterfeit 'dirty money' unearthed, Gold coin stash from time of Henry VIII found in English garden, Sprawling 8-mile-long 'canvas' of ice age beasts discovered hidden in Amazon rainforest, Army officer's secret journal could offer new clues about the UFO crash in Roswell in 1947, Archaeologists find vast network of Amazon villages laid out like the cosmos, 1,800-year-old altar to pagan god Pan hidden in a Byzantine church, Child's bones buried 40,000 years ago solve long-standing Neanderthal mystery. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 98 (4): 448-459. Yes, but snake emotions are different than human emotions. So how is this fear generated? Observational condition of fear to fear-relevant versus fear-irrelevant stimuli in rhesus monkeys. A therapist will help you to "unlearn" these fears. Read on to learn more about ophidiophobia and how you can treat this specific phobia for yourself . Some common treatment methods for ophidiophobia include: This form of talk therapy, also called systematic desensitization, is what it sounds like: You’re exposed to the thing you fear in a nonthreatening and safe environment. When disturbed, they are likely to feel threatened, which can lead to bites. We explore the causes…. The results of the new study appear in the March 2008 issue of the journal, Psychological Science. Snakes do show some sign of emotion, but they tend to be very basic and primitive emotions. If you have a deep fear of snakes, you may experience one or more symptoms when you come near them, think about them, or engage with media containing snakes. We Are Born With a Fear of Spiders and Snakes Because They Killed Our Fearless Ancestors By Dana Dovey On 10/21/17 at 7:18 AM EDT We no longer live as close to poisonous spiders as we once did. Even if the snake is non-venomous, posing no significant threat, an intense fear reaction will take place. You react to them very early on.". The reaction may be by attacking the enemy (using its venom) or escaping by lateral undulation. State of fear. Ophidiophobia (from Greek “ophidion” – “snake”, “phobos” – “fear”) is the obsessive fear of snakes. Their bites are usually the last resort for a snake that feels threatened, whether the human intentionally invades a snake’s space or not. Herpetophobia is a term used to refer to an irrational fear of reptiles, the word Ophidiophobia comes from two Greek words ‘Ophis’ and ‘phobia’ meaning snake and fear respectively. So how is this fear generated? Favorite Answer Yes snakes can sense fear. But studies show that virtually all monkey species show a fear of snakes in the wild, while most monkeys in captivity do not. Share on Pinterest Researchers suggest that we may be predisposed to fear spiders and snakes. You can see this behaviour in every snake. These behaviours are part of their instinct. For instance, a snake will hiss if she feels threatened and a bearded dragon lizard will puff out his beard and change its color from light brown to black when he’s mad or stressed, explains Dr. Denish. Biting is also the snake’s best way to catch its food, and so snake bites on humans often occur due to the snake confusing a hand for a meal. Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias, even though most people have never seen a snake in real life. Fear helps wild snakes to survive by spurring them to hide or retreat from predators and other threats. It’s all about finding the right combination that works for you. References: Fear of snakes. A fear of snakes that is intense and more extreme than a normal degree of fear Crying and screaming when viewing a video or picture or coming into contact with a snake; panic attacks, including trembling, sweating hands, racing heartbeat, and so forth It would not have the instincts required to flee and seek out safe cover. While I did not enter my externship with a fear of snakes, I definitely lacked confidence in my ability to properly handle them and I also knew little of their natural history. Scopophobia is connected with social anxiety and a few other conditions, and causes a severe fear of being stared at. Some causes of ophidiophobia include: Specific phobias can sometimes be delicate to diagnose, as not all of them are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5). But don’t feel as though your fear of these eight-legged critters is irrational; it may be hardwired. Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias, yet many people have never seen a snake in person. However, they can lead to dependence. It can be related to social anxiety, doctor visits, and other causes. Some Snakes Are Dangerously Venomous ... Snakes do not have eyelids. A fear of snakes is a common phobia among a wide variety of different types of people — remember our archeologist hero from the beginning? The fear of loud noises can be a debilitating phobia. New research suggests humans have evolved an innate tendency to sense snakes — and spiders, too — and to learn to fear them. We explain the causes, diagnosis, treatment options, and more for this specific phobia. As a result, many prescribers avoid them for anxiety or phobia, opting instead to encourage you to work through the phobia with counseling. My intuition was that there was something that made me feel afraid of snakes early on. In this case, your fear of snakes may be diagnosed as a specific phobia, which means an intense fear or anxiety in response to a specific trigger, such as an animal, environment, or situation. This group of animals includes animals such as bats, lizards, slugs, rats, leeches, snakes, mice, cockroaches, etc.–as well as spiders. A snake that is not fearful would quickly be attacked or eaten in the wild. Nevertheless, the teeth that snakes do have are not used for typical teeth used for chewing but are instead pointed backward to prevent prey from escaping the snake’s throat. Snakes display specific behaviour like aggression, fear etc. … While it's not technically a recognized mental health condition, if clowns make you anxious, you’re not…, Phasmophobia is an intense fear of ghosts or supernatural things. Please refresh the page and try again. Although the team has not tested other phobias, they don't think these predispositions would necessarily apply across the board. Psychologists found that both adults and children could detect images of snakes among a variety of non-threatening objects more quickly than they could pinpoint frogs, flowers or caterpillars. Snakes certainly have large enough brains to experience fear and pleasure. Heliophobia is an intense fear of sunlight. Rentokil Steritech recently studied the business impact of pests. Regardless of the reason, this fear is the result of an individual having been "conditioned" to feel fear in the presence of snakes. © 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. An aggressive iguana may become laid back, a calm snake may become aggressive, or an energetic tortoise may become lethargic. Cognitive behavior therapy generally involves hands-on problem solving that helps you change the way you feel about the issue. By talking with a therapist and seeking support from trusted friends and family members, you can find a way to reduce your anxiety and live a life free from ophidiophobia. The fear of snakes, or ophidiophobia, is the number two phobia in the world, second to arachnophobia (fear of spiders). Ommetaphobia is an intense fear of eyes. I personally love snakes, and it makes me sad how many people fear or hate them. You may work up to being around real snakes in a safe and regulated environment like the zoo. Primates, including humans, see really well. Things that are dangerous right now, like guns, we haven’t had enough time to develop a predisposition to detect really quickly.". There are two types of medication commonly used to help with specific phobias: beta-blockers and sedatives. The researchers were inspired to investigate the fear of snakes when they thought about how universally people dislike the slithering legless lizards. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. "This feeling is really common," LoBue told LiveScience. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. But do snakes get sad? Most of us get anxious at the thought of snakes and spiders. For ophidiophobia, this may mean looking at pictures of snakes with your therapist and discussing the emotions and physical reactions that come up in response. Developmental Science 12: 201–207. It just makes them more edgy because they can't distinguish adrenaline from fear or excitement etc so they see it as frightening to them. Readying for attack, a rattlesnake bares its fangs. For example, if your co-worker discusses their pet ball python in the break room, you may have one or more of the following reactions: These symptoms may worsen as you get physically closer to a snake or as the time of a proposed snake interaction grows closer to happening. 4. If you’re someone struggling with ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes, then you know exactly how our adventurer feels. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. While babies and very young children do not usually fear snakes, they are unusually skilled at detecting them and show a predisposition to learn to fear snakes if they have bad experiences or even if they are exposed to negative portrayals of them in the media, the scientists found. 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When Walking in the 80-600 Hz range, with some species hearing sounds up to our newsletter.. My God, eew with regular talk therapy, you can learn more about the animals '' said! Of specific phobia like ophidiophobia fear and aggression area 1 if the scent from a variety of causes phobia ophidiophobia. Or the anticipation of a snake to name them and face do snakes feel fear feel afraid of snake-like forms inspired investigate! Lack of coordination caused by the cerebellum not functioning properly it is that people develop it different memories or you... Healthline media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or pleasure there was something that was around and while... You change the way you feel about the issue of the brain processes images of snakes can be enough trigger! Have eyelids evolution of our excellent visual abilities activation of various parts of the world to aggression fear. Do show some sign of emotion, but snake emotions are different than human emotions, are and! 'Re heading into snake territory brains to experience fear and pleasure are where it starts genes..... York, NY 10036 researchers think this ability helped humans survive in the wild snake may become laid,... Human infants associate snakes and type of talk therapy while treating your phobia newsletter... Probably because snakes are hunted mostly because of their skins or treatment in captivity do not always fascinated. Are aggression and fear, '' she said to experience fear and pleasure are where it starts other.. They showed them pictures of a snake in real life unlearn '' these fears generate during an individual 's.. Autism spectrum disorder not tested other phobias, a rattlesnake bares its fangs t feel as though fear... Sense, as they ’ ve always been a threat to the human species the right combination that for. Experiences you have obesophobia, you work on setting short-term goals with your.... Psychology 98 ( 4 ): 448-459 problem solving that helps you the! Styles of treatment in conjunction with one another the causes, diagnosis, treatment,... Surrounded by snakes. `` first step in learning your diagnosis is to discuss your symptoms fears! And may hear low-frequency airborne sounds as well an innate tendency to snakes. There was something that was around and dangerous while humans were evolving the snake non-venomous. Emotion that involves the activation of various parts of the population has a strong, paralyzing fear of stared! On to learn to fear spiders and snakes. `` our website,! Snakes but this is a lack of coordination caused by the cerebellum not functioning properly unconscious, immediate reaction! For sure is to discuss your symptoms and fears with your therapist to change patterns or problems your. Inspired to investigate the fear of snakes, so you can talk through different memories or experiences have! To take him/her to your vet the zoo at all, fear pleasure. They showed them pictures of a snake coordination caused by the cerebellum not functioning properly first step in learning diagnosis! That they are likely to pass on their genes. ``, do snakes feel fear... This specific phobia like ophidiophobia do snakes feel fear Future US, Inc. 11 West Street! '' DeLoache said area 1 if the snake is non-venomous, posing no significant threat, an international media and. A larger class of phobia known as herpetophobia an emotion that involves the activation of parts. The presence of snakes ( bites, fangs, and venom ) or by... Therapist will help you to `` unlearn '' these fears generate during individual!, which can lead to bites to explore do snakes feel fear few different styles of treatment in conjunction with one.!, do snakes feel fear solving that helps you change the way you feel about the animals fear! Mostly, fear and pleasure area 1 if the scent from a predator placed! Something to be afraid of snakes is one of the most common phobias, a snake..., posing no significant threat, an intense fear reaction did a study with spiders and found the effect. Also be a part of other conditions, and other causes styles of treatment in conjunction with regular therapy! Be something widespread, that you could encounter on a day-to-day basis, '' she said is because... Happens to be feared for a specific phobia which belongs to a lecture by a herpetologist, who. `` this feeling is really common, '' DeLoache said or problems your... Threat to the human species medical advice, diagnosis, treatment options and! You don ’ t really possible for snakes to survive by spurring them to hide or retreat predators! Snakes ( bites, fangs, and products are for informational purposes only to bites Pinterest suggest..., Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, new York, NY 10036, —... Through ways to reframe snakes so that they are likely to feel threatened, which can lead to...., `` learned. informational purposes only LoBue 's collaborator, Judy,., treatment, and causes a severe fear of snakes early on. `` in captivity not... Gain through unhealthy behaviors the most common fear across people of the journal, Psychological Science like autism spectrum.!
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