Why are so many people arachnophobic?

[Smokey the mudkip 52]

spiders are scary! well, maybe its because i've been bitten by them too many times, once i got bit on my hand it swelled up and i couldn't move my hand! yeah.... not fun X3

[Samurshy 709]

I think the fear of spiders has to do with human psychology, in the fact that most fear oddities or things that are different than what people normally deal with on a day to day basis. I am sort of afraid of people who have two heads, but it is not because of a certain stereotype or thing I think they do, it is because they are different then what I deal with on a day to day basis. Spiders are so different that they creep out most people including me. Those are my thoughts, take em or leave em.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Because they're one of the few things that small than can potentially do real damage to you. Not to mention the way they move is creepy as all hell.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Shoboni

[Celtore 2,770]

Spiders are my allies. They assist me with hunting the TRUE enemy: the common housefly!

 

But yeah, the spiders we have here aren't really that big and even the larger ones are typically passive and harmless. Very rarely I wake up with a spider bite, but it's just kind of irritating in the same sense a mosquito bite is. They mostly stay out of the bedrooms anyway since there is no food up there.

 

Spider's aren't that scary really and can actually be quite fascinating. WASPS on the other hand...

Edited September 11, 2012 by Celtore

[碇 シンジン 27,442]

because spiders are something that is not natural like all other insects too many legs it mages them creepy and the way they move those legs *shudder*

[Dreambiscuit 12,540]

I don't like any bugs, but spiders are the worst! I tried to apply logic to it but it's no use. Something about their shape and the way they move just affects something in my subconscious and makes me a nervous wreck. I don't even like to get close enough to squish them, but I'll make the exception. 

[Jeric 46,891]

Oh good. Spider thread is back. 

@PathfinderCS

Spoiler

 

Didn't expect that did you?

[Outnick 1,228]

On 26/08/2012 at 5:44 AM, Tol'Satha said:

I've been reading a bit about phobias, and it turns out that Arachnophobia is the most common one. I knew lots of people were afraid of spiders, but i was still confused by the numbers. According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia....i/Arachnophobia), 50% of women and 10% of men (leading to around 1/3 of the population) is arachnophobic. I personally love them so It really makes no sense to me that out of all the scary and dangerous things in this world, the most widespread fear is that of a usefull, non-agressive, tiny, harmless creature.

 

How can someone be afraid or disgusted by these cute eyes: (spoiler for arachnophobes)

 

 

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I've googled and googled, and all i find are speculations and theories, but nobody seems to know exactly why so many people are arachnophobic.

What is your opinion on this? Why is this such a massive phobia?

oh my god a spider, oh my god a spider oh my god a spider.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,165]

17 minutes ago, Jeric said:

Oh good. Spider thread is back. 

@PathfinderCS

  Hide contents

 

Didn't expect that did you?

Lucas is welcome in my home anytime he wishes. <3

[Midnight Solace 5,135]

Because Spiders are just... Creepy in a way. Like the way they make cobwebs, move, and bite you. And they are hiding everywhere.

Australia has way too many spiders.

[Olly 1,016]

Because spiders, like many other insects or deep sea fish, are fundamentally very different from mammals. It's a general rule that the more different something is, the more fear it will illicit to the average person. Think of aliens, and why they're sometimes viewed as or created "creepy", it's the same principle. 

Edited December 9, 2018 by Olly

[Here No Longer 5,290]

I never really understood it myself. They kind of look creepy and icky, but... They more often than not just mind their own business and don't bother anyone... If there's a lot of them in your house, you may have to worry about them trying to make a web across a walkway, but as long as they aren't crawling on me, I have no problems with them and in fact welcome them for the most part. They'll eat flies, and that's rather nice.

[Lucky Bolt 35,266]

Well for me, it has something to do with those long creepy legs they have. 

[The Recherche 29,983]

I believe it may be genetic, from what I have read thus far. Spiders have the capacity to be terribly dangerous creatures due to venom, so an aversion to them may be inherently built into our minds. The same applies for snakes, as far as I am aware. Personally, however? I have never held much issue with spiders as a whole. I much prefer spiders over the insects they feast upon,

[Early Sunsets 2,112]

Because they're creepy mf-ers. The way they crawl is just nasty, and don't get me started on the webs.

[Partialgeek514 5,016]

I'm not scared of spiders, I just have a strong compulsion to run and scream like a five year old girl the moment I see one close it me.  Also, I have a strong desire for them all to be wiped from existence.

[EpicEnergy 23,259]

It's the way they look, all those legs moving around is just plain freaky, along with their eyes and fangs. The bigger and faster they are, the scarier they are. Especially those that can jump at you. 

I don't think I have arachnophobia, but I'm still a little fearful of spiders.

[Clawdeen 26,300]

Don't know. I had that when I was a teen but successfully cured mine so I'm not afraid of them anymore. 

[DubWolf 20,541]

Dunno. I wonder if spiders would be less scary if they had less legs, less eyes and less scary eyes  .

[Fluttershutter 3,549]

Yeah, I understand fears and phobias but arachnophobia is just so cliché.

I doubt it's the eyes. Nobody really gets close enough to see the eyes.

[Pentium100 2,363]

Fear of snakes is also very common. In my opinion this is due to evolution - both spiders and snakes are dangerous, but do not immediately appear so (compared to, say, a bear) because they are small. However, they can kill you wirh their venom. Dying from a snake or spider bite may take a while, so it may not be immediately apparent to others what was the cause of your death (again, compared to getting mauled by a bear). 

So, I guess, the people (or the apes that later evolved into humans) who tried to stay away from spiders and snakes (or killed them when they saw them) were more likely to survive.

[Dawnshine Wonder 4,805]

On 2025-12-20 at 6:12 AM, Pentium100 said:

Fear of snakes is also very common. In my opinion this is due to evolution - both spiders and snakes are dangerous, but do not immediately appear so (compared to, say, a bear) because they are small. However, they can kill you wirh their venom. Dying from a snake or spider bite may take a while, so it may not be immediately apparent to others what was the cause of your death (again, compared to getting mauled by a bear). 

So, I guess, the people (or the apes that later evolved into humans) who tried to stay away from spiders and snakes (or killed them when they saw them) were more likely to survive.

Not all spiders can, but there is a solid evolutionary basis for why people fear spiders, yes. There was a time when humanity did not have much information on spiders and it was more difficult to figure out which ones had fangs that could penetrate our skin and inject a lethal dose of venom into us and which ones could not. Some people still think tarantulas can kill us, when really the majority of bites from tarantulas are no more harmful than a bee sting. However there are certain species of spiders that are capable of delivering a painful and lethal bite to humans, and with adult males, something very embarrassing and painful can happen during that time the venom from a Brazilian Wandering Spider is destroying them from the inside out.

 

I'm not one to make fun of people's phobias, while it is possible to overcome them with exposure therapy in some cases, it has to be done safely and in a controlled environment, ideally guided by a qualified practitioner of mental health, it cannot be done overnight, it's a process that takes time.

 

I don't have a fear of spiders, but I do have a fear of vomit, which is called emetophobia, and it has been like a weakness to me nearly my entire life since childhood, further limiting my social interactions outside forums or social media. If I am taken to any public places, like a cocktail bar, panic attacks are something I have to manage, and have somebody supervising. That phobia too could be traced back to evolution, because as is often the case, people barf if they have consumed something poisonous, likely contaminated by pathogens, the fear response to that is an instinctive reaction to pull away from a potential disease outbreak. The brain can do useful things, but if the fear is so extreme it threatens our ability to function normally in society, that's not healthy and it does need to be addressed. Too much fear can prevent us from making the most of life.

[Night Sky 1,497]

I don't like spiders. Bad experience when I was a little kid.