5 most stupid human fears, which have a scientific basis
A Life / / December 19, 2019
1. dolls
Macabre children's toys for a long time have become heroes of different horror movies. However, many people experience anxiety at the sight of the dolls, even if they do not have a knife in his hand, like Chucky from "Children's Games".
What is the cause of this fear? The point in the evolutionary mechanisms of our brain. People tend, in principle, to find human images, even where they do not exist. Suffice it to recall the famous illusion of a person on the moon. This tendency in all detect human faces called pareidolia. And this is a very important skill in terms of evolution.
First, the mother's face - one of the first and most important visual images, facing a newborn baby. Second, the earlier cave man noticed the enemy, creeping to him with a stick in hand, the more likely he was to survive.
On the face detection in the human brain assigned to a fairly large area. And when it starts to run dry, we experience unpleasant feelings. As long as the dolls were not too realistic, and their faces did not resemble human, such a problem as pediofobiya (fear of dolls) was not. However, modern toys that are visually almost indistinguishable from a person, but in fact people are not the cause in we encounter the unconscious instinct, saying "run or interaction" with a clear understanding of inanimate subject. This also caused discomfort in the form of anthropomorphic toys.
2. Clowns
The guys with huge red noses and unnatural big feet have something really terrible. Come immediately to mind the popular media image of giggling psychopath. However, not mass culture has created this fear.
IN studyConducted by British scientists in 2008, was considered by the reaction of the children are in the hospital on hanging on the walls posters with pictures of clowns. It turned out that the children are the kind of environment is not comfortable. Moreover, they recognized that the posters were frightening. Thus, the appearance of the merry with red noses from birth causes us anxiety.
Why? In the appearance of a clown too unnatural. Contrasting colors on the face, hanging clothes, wanton laughter - all of this enough to make our brains decided: "Something is wrong here. Not at all! "
All this is pretty obvious, but it's amazing how these terrible creatures can one-hand short-circuit in the brain, because of what he suddenly decides that laugh! Their whole way, from the appearance and ending with a rather violent acts against themselves or others, does not have any funny features in terms of the social code. It remains a mystery why the clowns are both the epitome and laughter and horror.
3. Spiders and snakes
If you do not live in Australia or the Amazon region, you do not have serious reasons to fear of snakes and spiders. However, earlier, when people still did not have houses and self-defense capabilities, these creatures can deliver a lot of trouble.
Scientists have shown three-year olds a variety of photos, a few of which are reptiles and spiders were depicted. Even those children who have not seen them in life, specifically responded to the image of these creatures. For completeness, the same experiment was done with a seven-month child. The result was the same: the subjects were afraid of snakes.
Nevertheless research We have shown that we have an instinctive fear of these animals. Just evolution has given us the ability to recognize what creatures are dangerous and which ones - no. Under laboratory conditions, the monkeys can be much faster to train to be afraid of spiders and snakes than rabbits. Most likely, because the latter do not tend to wear a poison.
4. Objects with many holes
If you are afraid of the form of a honeycomb or corals, it is likely you trypophobia. It determined by this strange phenomenon as the fear of clustered holes, ie clusters of holes. There is still no scientific evidence of the reality of this phobia, but seeing the next image, many readers will feel discomfort.
It seems rather strange. Why should people be afraid of the hole? What's in them so? Again, the answer gives the theory of evolution. The holes in the objects remind us of the dangerous animals such as octopus. Our ancestors had to go to the sea for food, where they can easily meet any toxic blue-ringed octopus.
Scientists found that people with trypophobia especially react strongly to the hole with a high contrast with the small distances between the elements. It can also describe the appearance of some dangerous animals such as the king cobra and scorpion. Therefore, do not be too hard on yourself if you scream with fear at the sight of Swiss cheese: just have strong survival instinct.
5. Gnashing of nails on a blackboard
Agree, the sound of grinding nails on a chalkboard - one of the most disgusting in the world. Why is it so unpleasant to us?
Scientists claim that the sound frequency at which a person experiences unpleasant sensation in the range 2 000-4 000 Hz. All the matter in the structure of the ear canal: it is organized in such a way that the sounds that are called frequency significantly enhanced.
The effect is not just psychological, because sounds can affect our blood pressure and accelerate the heart rate. Why is it so our body work? Perhaps this is another "gift" of evolution has taught us to pay attention to the cries for help, or a child crying.