Fear of snakes evolved in humans
New study suggests phobia provided advantage in survival, reproduction
Readying for attack, a rattlesnake bears its fangs. New research suggests humans have evolved an innate tendency to sense snakes and to learn to fear them.
Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias, yet many people have never seen a snake in person. So how is this fear generated?
New research suggests humans have evolved an innate tendency to sense snakes — and spiders, too — and to learn to fear them.
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. The researchers think this ability helped humans survive in the wild.
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