Creepy Crawlies Exterminator in WA, Why Do So Many People Fear Spiders & Rodents?
Look through the names of your friends, family members, acquaintances, and colleagues to see if there are any people you know who have a strong dislike for rodents, spiders, or both. People's reactions to something like a sewer rat, or a wild Tarantula can vary from nervous fascination to total panic and disgust. These particular animals are so fearsome that many people have a generalized fear.
Through Human History, a Strained Relationship
Let's just say rodents are not the best of friends during our time together. Pest control has been a problem for humans in the past. Rats and mice have eaten crops and food that was stored for long periods of time. Rats have long been associated with diseases. For many generations, rats have been blamed for spreading the bubonic disease, which decimated millions in Europe during Middle Ages. However, emerging research indicates that human parasites such as lice and fleas may have been the true culprits.
Scientists believe the fear of spiders is genetic. This theory was supported by a study, which tracked infants' reactions to images of snakes or spiders. It was compared with images of flowers and fish. Babies responded more strongly to images of spiders and snakes than they did to fish or flower pictures. Such reactions may indicate that humans learned to fear spider bites from their painful and sometimes deadly origins and were passed on to generations of people over many thousands of years.
It began in my childhood...
Many phobias stem from childhood traumas. This trauma can leave a scarlet letter that causes anxiety and fear in the future. As an example, if you saw someone being bitten by a snake as a child, it might have been enough trauma to cause you to develop spider phobia. It is one of the most fearful childhood fears.
Some phobias can also play into other phobias. Some phobias, such as mysophobia (the fear that germs) can also affect others. This is because these rodents can be carriers and transmitters of diseases.
Attack of The Killer: Popular Culture reinforces Phobias
"Charlotte's Web", and "Ratatouille," aside, mainstream entertainment has not always depicted spiders or rodents as helpful and friendly. These creatures have always lived in crypts and haunted homes and were familiars to many strange and dangerous characters (Willard). Some of them have been "supersized", becoming evil-doing creatures, such as the giant spiders featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. These portrayals reinforce the idea that rodents and spiders should be feared.
Pest Busters Olympia WA
Olympia Wa
(360) 226 1790
