Research suggests snake phobia hardwired

[UM-Bot]

Two University of Virginia researchers believe that humans are genetically predisposed to be deathly afraid of snakes. Judy S. DeLoache, a U.Va. professor of developmental psychology, said she has a snake phobia, but wonders why.

"The question was, where did that fear come from?" She believes it's because snakes would have posed a significant threat to our ancestors, so a fear of snakes remains hardwired into human brains today.

View: Full Article | Source: Yahoo! News

[Krayt12]

Weird - I love snakes and I didn't freak out when I saw one in my garden, I happily picked it up, although maybe because the UK doesn't have many dangerous snakes... lol

Just because a fear is common doesn't exactly mean it's a hardwired fear - tonnes of people hate spiders and yet some love them and have pet Tarantualars - eww!

[Pelican_Eel]

I can understand that, but what's with the human fear of various bugs?

[War Eagle]

Cool story, I agree with the research ('fear factor') Whenever i spot a Brown & or King Brown <--Pitt Bulls (of the snakes imo) on the farm...err 'just picture those Bugs Bunny cartoons when they jump & take off run'n in mid air'.

[Enigmatic Ghost]

We if we are talking all snakes being a hard wired primal fear I guess that I might fully agree with this article but for this man I have a great fear of Snakes including the Poisonous species that Holly Snake smooches go lip locking on basis of Devine faith and interventions, personally I have a lot of Faith but I will keep it pertaining to my Praying for people’s needs not if a viper is going to be holly minded and all loving and not show me my faith is just not up to par that last given day in the church.

Another Note upon Snakes poisonous verities, my Fear for then is that I have seen close up what a good over dose of poisonous Venom can do to a person’s leg the flesh and muscle tissues dissolving the tissues in a very fast time as if the leg was splashed or injected with a caustic weekend solution of slow dissolving Sulfuric acid, it is very scary a poisonous snake bite does not only always mean a very painful puncher wound and badly desperate need for getting medical treatment in a hurry, you really try staying calm when you very own life clock is racing away or your leg’s flesh starts to open up and dissolve painfully before you very eyes, and two more points to mention upon poisonous Snakes while I am on the subject here, never cut and or suck out someone’s Snake poison from a bite wound as taught in Boy Scouts because if you have a open sore or a cavity in your own mouth you very well can become poisoned you own self and Sercombe to death, last point I would like to share and no pun intended here in Point but if you do happen upon a dead poisonous viper or rattlesnake or kill one your own self do not pick it up thinking it is dead or harmless and to discard a dead rattlesnake at a camp site the snakes needs be burned in a camp fire or the head mush be very carefully severed with a sharp shovel or knife and the head must be buried deep within the ground because any child or person or pet dog that comes along and even days after it is dead and deteriorating including if it is then as only a skull with fangs the Snakes poison is still very much capably of poisoning as the venom is still present with in the inner tubing of the Fangs for a long time after the snake is rendered dead and that even means if all the flesh and venom sacks above the fangs have deteriorated away.

I know my snake fears are very real and nothing of a primal set fear.

Also there is a video clip going around and may be upon youtube where a wild bunny is aproached by a Rattle snake and bit at and the rabbit hopps around avoiding futher stikes and hops to the tail end of the snake and starts delevering its own bites and keeps doing this and chases the snake not just away but the snake rises up in a huge desperate panic and climbs into the low branches or a pine tree hanging three feet off of the ground to escape the p***ed off bunny rabbit.

Pavot

Edited March 3, 2008 by Pavot

[Bosanchero]

yes i agree we are afraid of snakes because our ancestors.... bla bla bla.... we are afraid of them because some of them will kill us with a single bite lol thats why we are afraid and there is so many different kinds of them that we generally just say they are all bad lol and we fear them all....

this research should take in count that people are afraid of EVERYTHING lol snakes spiders lions bear etc... etc... etc...

[deslin]

I can agree that there's a general natural fear of snakes and lots of other animals that can hurt us. Although I also think it's not every person who's affected by it, obviously. Personally I don't mind snakes and I have a respect for ones that could poison or squeeze the life from me. Another way to put it though is I know fire will burn so I'm not sticking my hand into the flame, same as I'd simply not stick my hand near a king cobra if I came across one and not just freak out and run away crying lol.

[www375]

Fear is a natural biological response to danger, be it snakes, bears, rabid poodles, or Little Billy with an Uzi. Survival insinct is all it is...................