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Richard87
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Is arachnophobia genetic? What about fear of snakes?
Richard87 said:Is arachnophobia genetic? What about fear of snakes?
You think 10 thousand years ago humans were afraid of snakes like they are now?
dacruick said:how can fear be genetic. You think 10 thousand years ago humans were afraid of snakes like they are now? In north america people are afraid of bugs the size of their fingertip, but go to africa or the phillipenes and so forth and no one is afraid.
What evidence is there of fear being genetic, and define strong for me please arildno.
DanP said:Ive heard of conditions in which fear is not present at all in humans (prolly in a Discovery channel documentary), they could go balls to the walls in just about everything they wanted to do. The explanation was genetic at base.
It has nothing to do with how afraid ppl where of snakes 10k years ago.
DanP said:Ive heard of conditions in which fear is not present at all in humans (prolly in a Discovery channel documentary), they could go balls to the walls in just about everything they wanted to do. The explanation was genetic at base.
It has nothing to do with how afraid ppl where of snakes 10k years ago.
dacruick said:Finally, DanP, I think you misunderstand my argument. I know for a fact there are parts of the brain that control fear, and if that part of the brain is altered, there will be biological affects on how that person handles fear. I agree 100% with that. But what I speak of is that the fear of snakes is passed through genetically. I think that that statement is absurd.
Spiders are, in general, less harmful towards cerebrate species than snakes are, and thus there will be a less evolutionary pressure towards making fear of spidery things a widely distributed trait than for wiggly, hissing things.And arildno, do you understand the ridiculousness of your statement that the fear of snakes is "strongly" genetic, but not spiders.
Those that didn't feel much apprehension concerning heights would more likely fall off and die, in contrast to those who happened to be slightly apprehensive.or anything else for that matter. is the fear of heights genetic?
Because chimps fear snakes, too.what about the fear of robots taking over the world? Do you not think that the common fear of snakes has something to do with the image society associated with them?
DanP said:About fear of snakes in chimps. It may be learned behavior, built upon the genetic components of survival and fear. A good experiment would be a little chimp which is grown outside it's clan and natural environment, and have cultivated curiosity towards other beings. Then put it near a venomous snake and see how it reacts.
arildno said:Fear of snakes is pretty wide-spread, not just among apes, but in dumb four-footed animals as well.
DanP said:Indeed it is, but this is not evidence that is either genetic or learned behavior. See the study I posted above, the reactions of rhesus reared in wild toward snakes is very strong in many individuals, while for the one reared in other environments seems not to exceed mild reactions.
arildno said:The fact that lab reared monkeys shows AVOIDANCE symptoms towards wiggly-things proves that there is some genetic component at work.
Interesting study, BTW.
DanP said:So we can conclude that behavioral base in this case has both genetic and learned components. IMO, its a reasonable conclusion.
dacruick said:A quote from the study above: "Lab-reared subjects usually exhibited mild avoidance responses to the live snake and practically no avoidance responses to the other objects"
This study uses the curvy tubing as a representation of a snake, and the lab reared snakes showed no hesistation towards that. I wouldn't say that that is proof of there be no genetics in play, but I would also say that it points in the direction that fear of snakes is environmentally inhibited.
Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders or other arachnids such as scorpions or ticks. It is a specific phobia, meaning it is an intense and irrational fear of a specific object or situation.
There is evidence to suggest that arachnophobia may have a genetic component. Studies have shown that individuals with a family history of arachnophobia are more likely to develop the fear themselves.
Arachnophobia can be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and cultural factors. Some studies suggest that a traumatic experience with spiders in childhood may also contribute to the development of arachnophobia.
Yes, arachnophobia can be treated through various forms of therapy, such as exposure therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy. Medications may also be prescribed to help manage symptoms of anxiety and fear.
Arachnophobia is one of the most common specific phobias, affecting an estimated 3.5-6.1% of the population. It is more common in women than men and tends to develop in childhood or adolescence.