Do you know what a phobia is? It’s about a anxiety disorder which is very common in humanity, since the irrational fear It can be presented in front of any object or situation, thus being infinite. There are the rarest phobias, such as scopophobia (fear of being observed) or philophobia (fear of love). But, among the most common phobias around the world, we find the fear of snakes. Although ophidiophobia is common, few know why it occurs.
The fear of snakes is latent, we probably think that if we live in an industrialized society, we will never suffer from a phobia of snakes, but we are wrong.
So, Why do we feel that insurmountable terror when we think of his presence? The researchers of Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences They have done an extensive study on it and have concluded that the fear of snakes is of evolutionary origin. At we tell you everything about this very common phobia.
So what is ophidiophobia?
Ophidiophobia is defined as the irrational fear of snakes. this fear can seriously limit a person’s life.This phobia belongs to a group of specific phobias called zoophobia or fear of animals.
In developed countries, 5% of the population suffers from this phobia which, in some cases, is so disabling that it prevents the affected person from entering a dark room, because harmful thoughts are created that a snake could appear there.
This fear of snakes is largely expressed not only when people who suffer from ophidiophobia encounter a real snake, they also often suffer when contemplating toy snakes or imitations of their skin.
People who have a phobia of snakes fear the sounds emitted by the animal, its movements, its shape, and do not focus as much on the repugnance and disgust that it causes.
Besides, Women tend to suffer from this phobia more frequently with a percentage of 7% and 4% in the male population..
1. What is the origin of ophidiophobia?
Until recently, scientists doubted the origin of the fear of vipers, as they raised possible hypotheses of this phobia. It was said that it could be learned unconsciously in childhood, perhaps due to some bad time related to this animal. But, on the other hand, they related it to an evolutionary origin.
The baby experiment
The scientists of Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, In collaboration with Uppsala University in Sweden, they have carried out research that included babies. In it they observed that they have a stress reaction when they see a snake.
At 6 months, babies have not yet learned that these animals are potentially dangerous. But still, they have a negative reaction when they come into direct or indirect contact with snakes.
The babies were also shown photographs of fish and flowers, alternating them with those of snakes. The images were the same size and color, but surprisingly children’s pupils dilated only when snakes appeared.
According to Dr. Stefanie Hoelhl, a neuroscientist at the University of Vienna, if the change in pupil size occurs under constant light conditions, It is a symptom that the brain’s noradrenergic system has been activated.which is directly responsible for the stress reactions of individuals and their possible suffering from ophidiophobia.
The conclusion of these scientists, is that the fear of snakes is of evolutionary origin.
Like primates, We are prepared to identify and react quickly to these types of animals that may represent a danger. As we see, knowing what ophidiophobia is is also knowing in depth what its origin is.
2. Symptoms of fear of snakes
Like all phobias, ophidiophobia manifests itself as an anxiety disorder. Therefore, people who suffer from this phobia express various symptoms physically and psychologically when they are in an exposure situation.
On the other hand, experts decide to divide the symptoms into three groups:
- In the first instance there are the physical symptoms, which generate certain reactions in the body such as alterations and changes. Within these changes, there is an acceleration of the heart rate, a feeling of vertigo and dizziness, nausea, uncontrollable tremors, a feeling of suffocation, excessive sweating, pressure and even fainting.
- On the other hand, there are cognitive symptoms, these They are associated with the ideas and thoughts that arise when a situation with the snake may arise.. People who suffer from ophidiophobia may experience intrusive thoughts, unpleasant mental images, obsessive speculations, and a feeling of unreality.
- Finally, the behavioral symptoms are presented, these They occur due to not being able to manage the control of anxiety and fear. These acts occur thanks to behaviors such as escape or avoidance, which are behaviors to avoid a «dangerous» situation. These avoidance behaviors are reflected when one goes to a zoo or an open field, where these animals can possibly be found.
3. How to overcome the fear of snakes?
Before telling you which are the most effective treatments to combat ophidiophobia, we need to clarify that Any type of method used must be supervised by a specialist. Well, each case presents different pathologies that must be known before starting any treatment.
Now, let’s talk about possible treatments for fear of snakes. A specific phobia such as ophidiophobia needs to use a therapeutic plan, where live exposure techniques are used complemented by breathing and anxiety control techniques.
- The psychotherapy technique is used to face the feared situation. In the case of ophidiophobia, the patient must have direct contact with snakes. In this situation you are encouraged to behave naturally and think about the benefits you will get if you do it.
- On the other hand, there is cognitive-behavioral therapy in which Through cognitive restructuring, the patient’s distorted thoughts are modified. As well as systematic desensitization or live exposure combined with relaxation treatment.
Both treatments turn out to be a good alternative to treat fear of snakes, however, in terms of time, it has been established, according to some studies, that The recovery of patients with ophidiophobia is faster in direct exposure therapy.
Ophidiophobia is an irrational fear that must be treated with the help of specialists in the field, Also remember that to be diagnosed you need a series of psychological tests that you can’t find on the web. Do you know someone who suffers from ophidiophobia? Tell us! We read you. And if you want to know more, we recommend reading some famous people with phobias.
Beyond ophidiophobia, other phobias that may interest you
Now that we conclude with our article on the phobia of snakes or vipers, we want to leave you with this selection of phobias. Do you have any of them?
- What is sophophobia, fear of studying
- What is crematophobia, the fear of money
- What is turophobia, the fear of cheese.
- What is Eisoptrophobia, the fear of mirrors.
- What is arachnophobia, the fear of spiders.
- What is glossophobia, the fear of speaking in public.
- What is acrophobia, the fear of heights.
- What is hafephobia, the fear of being touched.
- What is decidophobia, the fear of making decisions.
- What is tanotophobia, the fear of death.
- What is aerophobia, the fear of flying on an airplane.
- What is ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes.
- What is hemophobia, the fear of blood.
- What is clautrophobia, the fear of closed spaces.
- What is coulrophobia, the fear of clowns.