Why Do I Hate Spiders?

Arachnophobia is a type of phobia. People who are arachnophobic have a strong fear of spiders. They avoid them, and may experience panic attacks, sweating, and increased heart rates.

There is evidence that arachnophobia is a conditioned response, meaning that it’s caused by social or environmental conditioning. Psychologists argue that arachnophobia stems from direct exposure to a spider, or from learning to hate spiders from others.

In fact, researchers recently reported that the fear of spiders appears to be a genetic trait. The study was conducted on identical twins. It found that when identical twins watched images of spiders, the males responded differently than the females.

However, the study also showed that the fear of spiders appeared to be innate. The study found that the babies of those with arachnophobia had larger pupils.

Another study found that spiders were ranked as the top fear among kids. Kidnapping and predators were second.

The researchers attributed the phobia to a “disgust emotion”, a type of emotion which develops in humans to prevent disease. Spiders are a common symbol of good luck in many cultures.

Identical twins tend to live in different environments in their adult lives. But they also have the same DNA. As a result, they can be studied to learn more about genetic influences on behaviour.

Scientists say that this may help explain why some people are more prone to developing arachnophobia than others. Arachnophobia is also associated with anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.