Fear Of Spiders Vs Spiderwebs
Both the intense fear of spiders and spiderwebs are types of specific phobias. These types of phobias center around single items compared to more complex phobias, such as social anxiety. Arachnophobia is one of the most common specific phobias you can develop.
A fear of spiderwebs falls under the same umbrella of arachnophobia. You might have a fear of both spiders and spiderwebs, or just spiders individually. For some, seeing a spiderweb can lead to the intense worry over seeing a spider next.
Venomous Spiders And Danger To Humans
As previously mentioned, there are a significantly low amount of spiders in the world that are actually dangerous to humans. It is important to note that this does not reflect the amount of spiders in the world that are venomous. 99.9% of the spiders in North America are venomous but an incredibly small amount of them pose a real threat to humans. The three most common species of venomous spiders are:
1. Brown Recluse
Spiders Are One Of The Most Common Phobias Around The World But Why Are So Many People Scared Of Spiders
In the UK, the beginning of September marks the start of Spider Season – the period of time when spiders look to make their way indoors to mate as temperatures begin to cool. Spider season ends around the first week of October.
For many across the country, spider season is the worst time of year, with arachnophobia – the fear of spiders – being one of the UKs most common phobias.
But why are so many people scared of spiders? This is everything you need to know.
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The Most Common Phobias
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Do you remember having an irrational fear of spiders as a child? By the age of six, you had a six-syllable word in your vocabulary. You even had peers who understood your arachnophobia. The reason is some common phobias are significantly more prevalent than others.
When someone has a persistent fear of a situation or thing, they have an anxiety disorder defined by their phobia. People with a phobia will oftentimes go to extreme measures to avoid their fear. Their fear can stem from a negative experience of coming into contact with it or it can be inherent.
The following common phobias you may already recognize, as some people use them to conceptualize their fears. They do this without intending to trivialize phobias, which are debilitating to those who have them.
Answering Questions About Arachnophobia
Spiders are just about as unlike humans as it is possible to be. They have eight eyes, eight legs, skeletons on the outside of their bodies, and fangs that can penetrate the skin and inject venom. It shouldnt be too surprising that many people are afraid of spiders despite the fact that most spiders are tiny, delicate creatures that are not capable of killing or even harming animals of our size. When a persons fear of spiders becomes so disproportionate to the actual threat that it impairs life functioning and daily activities it is called arachnophobia.
This article will help distinguish between a general, common dislike for spiders and true arachnophobia. It will also explain theories behind arachnophobia and general fear of spiders, and what you can do about it if you are arachnophobic.
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What Are The Effects Of Arachnophobia
The fear of spiders can have a very negative effect on a persons general well being. The fear of spiders often leads to a fear of the dark which can affect a persons ability to sleep comfortably, which develops into insomnia over a period of time, increasing their anxiety levels and creating room for further negative thoughts and fears.
The feeling of something crawling up the body becomes a persistent thing that repeatedly brings the persons back to spiders. Unexplained noises can also become sources of anxiety and distress in an Arachnophobic person.
As it builds in intensity, the person may become extremely paranoid about having cupboards, hidden spaces and attics repeatedly checked for any signs of a spider.
Despite all the precautions, the fear that a spider may be hidden nearby still looms large in their mind. To combat this, people with Arachnophobia keep their homes very brightly lit and often sleep with the lights on.
The fear can also make it difficult for the person suffering from spider phobia to navigate public spaces for fear of running into a spider.
However, unlike other phobias, phobia of spiders is not as harsh on the working professional since office spaces are usually well maintained and spider free because of the bright environment.
I’m Only Afraid Of House Spiders Or Tarantulas Is The Treatment Still A Good Fit
Every spider phobia is different: some people are afraid of daddy long-legs and other people mainly fear tarantulas. And for some people, the fear is mainly about the quick movements of spiders, while for others it is more about its appearance. In that case, dead spiders may also evoke fear. So fast thin spiders or slow big spiders; arachnophobia comes in many forms.
With the Memrec treatment, we therefore ask many questions about the fear during the intake interview. This way we ensure that we include all aspects of it during the treatment.
Do we use a tarantula during the treatment, but are you also afraid of house spiders, or vice versa? The effect of the treatment should generalize to all types of spiders. We will test this with you during the check.
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Study: Fear Of Spiders May Be Cured In Two Minutes
At least 30% of Americans have a fear of spiders, or arachnophobia. According to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry, just two minutes of therapy could eradicate that fear.
For most people, arachnophobia does not interfere with everyday life. In most natural habitats, however, people are usually not farther than a few feet from a spider. This means that for some people with arachnophobia, intrusive thoughts of spiders can become a chronic source of distraction and fear.
Why Are So Many People Afraid Of Spiders
It is estimated that around;3 to 6 percent of the population has a spider phobia. This phobia usually develops in childhood. Subsequently, when they become adults, some people naturally overcome their fear, and in others the phobia persists.
Relatively little is known in science about how and why phobias develop.;Sometimes there is a clear reason for this,like a bad experience with a spider, or a father or mother with a spider phobia, but in most cases there is no clear cause. Some people even seem to be born with a fear of spiders.
A popular theory to explain the large number of people with spider phobia is that this;is evolutionarily determined: Our ancestors with fear of spiders would have a higher chance of survival than ancestors without that fear.
For the treatment at Kindt Clinics, it does not matter how you developed the fear of spiders.
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Scared Of Creepy Crawlies There Might Be An Evolutionary Explanation Learn More About The Causes Of Your Fear As Well As How To Get Rid Of Arachnophobia
Article by:Arachnophobia DefinitionCauses of ArachnophobiaSigns & SymptomsArachnophobia SymptomsArachnophobia TreatmentOvercome Your Fear
Some five out of 100 people in the United States have one or more phobias, with women slightly more likely to develop one than men. One of the most common phobias is arachnophobia, a debilitating fear of spiders, says Alan Manavitz, MD, clinical psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Why Do We Fear Spiders
While there is no single cause of arachnophobia, there are several theories as to why it may develop.
One theory is based on evolutionary psychology and posits that because our ancestors feared spiders, we do too. After all, our early ancestors may have increased their ability to survive by avoiding spiders as some are venomous; this gives the arachnophobic individual a possible evolutionary advantage. Also, people living in the Dark Ages believed that spiders contaminated food and water , which may have led us to associate them with mortal dangers such as starvation and death.
Another theory is that the fear of spiders is culturally dependant. In some cultures, spiders are widely feared, whereas in others they are a dietary staple.
Also, as is the case with many phobias, arachnophobia may also simply be due to the way you were raisedfor example, if you had a parent or other relative who was arachnophobic witnessing their fear response may have taught you that spiders were a cause for alarm. Interestingly, much of this is picked up through visual learning. Your parents may not have taught you to fear spiders, but when you witnessed their fear, you started to fear it too.
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Why Do Spiders Run At You
Spiders come into your home for two main things: shelter and sustenance. They will spend the majority of their time in your home focusing on these two things. Generally, spiders that move around in the open are out looking for prey or a mate. They are not out searching for a human to bite-despite how you might feel.
What Is Arachnophobia And Why Do We Fear Spiders
What is fear of spiders called? The fear of spiders is called arachnophobia.
Is the fear of spiders common? Yes, it is a very common fear or phobia. See Statistics
This fear goes along with things that creep and crawl in hidden and not-so-hidden places. Arachnophobia comes from an ancient Greek word arachne which of course means spiders. The fear of spiders is less prevalent in parts of the world where spiders are dealt with more frequently, but it is reported that three to six percent of the worlds population are considerably afraid of spiders. A fear of spiders may range from only slight all the way up to debilitating.
Why is the fear of spiders so common? Studies in modern times tend to show the fear of spiders or arachnophobia may have occurred in the human psyche through evolution. Which means our fear of spiders, whether rational or not could be part of the fight or flight response.
This may be because some spiders pose serious health risks from venom, infections, necrosis of the surrounding skin or even death. PLEASE, it is very important to remember that less than one-tenth of one percent, or 30 out of 43,000 types of spiders, are said to be dangerous to humans, and spiders overall are very beneficial to man. Spiders reduce nuisance pests and even dangerous insects that can carry disease and sickness, such as flies and mosquitoes.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider is very scary for some.
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Who Is Afraid Of Spiders
This understanding of spiders as bad and scary is not common for all cultures, but is rather usual for the Western hemisphere, specifically Britain and the USA. This may be because spiders are often portrayed as villains in children’s books and then as monsters in horror movies. When you look at countries like Cambodia, where spiders are commonly eaten, none of the fear or cultural dislike of spiders exist. So really, you would not be afraid of spiders, if you never had the opportunity to fear them!
Dont Watch Horror Movies
Images of victims impaled on giant arachnid claws in sci-fi flicks like 1997s Starship Troopers and armies of aggressive poisonous spiders in 1990s Arachnophobia really dont help matters.
If you didnt have a phobia before these movies you may have one by the closing credits, and any existing fears will be even worse.
Ever since B-movies in the 1950s, film-makers have wanted us to think those little things scurrying across the carpet actually want to wipe out humanity.
But guess what? They dont.
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How To Defeat Your Spider Phobia At Home
Arachnophobia is usually treated via systematic desensitization, also known as exposure therapy. Systematic desensitization involves repeatedly exposing a person to the object of their fear in a safe and controlled manner. You may wish to enlist the help of a mental health professional when trying these techniques at home.
To expose yourself to spiders in a safe and controlled manner, it is a good idea to prepare yourself via relaxation techniques, and by addressing and changing any negative beliefs and thought patterns that may be increasing your fear experience.
Relaxation techniques you can use include controlled breathing, self-hypnosis, and visualization routines that put you in a calm, relaxed state.
You can figure out what negative beliefs and thought patterns might be making your anxiety worse by writing about your fear of spiders. By writing out your thoughts on spiders, you can pick out specific beliefs and repeating thoughts that are untrue or non-useful and replace them with more positive beliefs and thought patterns, and practice running those positive beliefs and thought patterns through your head as you imagine seeing a spider.
The key is commitment. Start at the first step and continue it repeatedly until the fear goes away. Only once it’s gone away, move to the second step. It can take hours to days, but over time that fear will decrease. Remember, spiders are not nearly as dangerous as you thought .
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Dont Scare The Children
Next time you decide to pull a prank on a child with a plastic spider just remember you might be instilling a fear that will haunt the rest of their lives.
Experts believe some kind of spider-related trauma in childhood is the root cause of many an adult dislike of creatures which are largely harmless.
And even though their rational brain knows theres really nothing to be afraid of, that awful memory remains locked away in their heads.
So its best not to put it there in the first place.
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How Common Is Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia is very much common in people and has been ranked as the third worst phobia that people suffer from. At least 3.5% 6.1% of the population is likely to have arachnophobia. 30.5% of the population of the U.S suffer from arachnophobia. Among those having arachnophobia, women are in greater number. Studies show that 2 percent among those seek help from expert for treatment.
Greek Myth And Arachnophobia
arachnephobos
In Greek mythology, Arachne was a beautiful Greek maiden.;She studied weaving under the goddess Athena and had extraordinary skill. When her talents;were later recognized, she denied any training Athena had given her. Athena disguised;herself into a bitter old lady, approached Arachne, and tricked her into a weaving contest. Arachne wove portraits of the gods performing evil deeds. Athena and Arachne finished their weaving in an extremely short amount of time, but Arachnes work was much finer than Athenas
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What Are The Symptoms Of Arachnophobia
What triggers a spider phobia? A person suffering from a phobia of spiders is likely to start exhibiting symptoms of anxiety and panic when thinking about spiders, feeling like they are nearby or when looking at them.
Arachnophobia symptoms appear in varying combinations and intensity each time and differ greatly from person to person. Spider phobia causes some of the following symptoms that commonly affect a person suffering from the condition.
Panic attacks Shaking, sweating and extreme nervousness Paralysis Extreme fear of death Nausea and disorientation
The above Arachnophobia symptoms can affect the individual extremely and create situations where their fear is aggravated, not to mention the embarrassment of being caught in such a situation that wrongfully makes the person suffering from a phobia of spiders feel socially inept.
Medical Definition Of Fear Of Spiders
- Medical Editor: Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Reviewed on 3/29/2021
Fear of spiders: An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of this fear experience undue anxiety even though they realize the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or nonexistent. They may avoid going barefoot and may be especially alert when taking showers or getting into and out of bed. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie called Arachnophobia.
Fear of spiders is termed “Arachnophobia,” a word derived from the Greek “arachne” and “phobos” . The Greek word was derived from the name “Arachne,” a maiden in Greek mythology whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider after the girl, a skilled weaver, challenged Athena to a weaving contest.
“Arachno-” is also part of the term “arachnodactyly” which refers to long spider-like fingers and toes, a frequent finding in , a heritable disorder of connective tissue.
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Treating Phobias In Baton Rouge
It is perfectly normal to experience some level of hesitation or nervousness when confronted with a new or intimidating situation.; However, such instances should not produce symptoms of panic such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, trembling, and nausea.; If these types of symptoms occur as the result of a particular object or situation, you are likely suffering from a phobia.; Fortunately, most of these conditions can be improved dramatically with care from a mental health professional.; If you are in the Baton Rouge area and struggling with a phobia, contact Psychiatry Associates of Baton Rouge to request an appointment with one of our skilled psychiatric physicians.
Examples Of Arachnophobia In A Sentence
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These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘arachnophobia.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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