Almost any stimulus may trigger a phobic reaction, but snakes are among the most feared objects. Half of the population feel anxious about snakes and 2-3% meet the diagnostic criteria for snake phobia.
So, a generalized fear of snakes is very common. One in 10 American adults and 1 in 5 teenagers will deal with a specific phobia disorder at some point in their lives, and ophidiophobia is one of the most common specific phobias. Ophidiophobia can affect people of any age, starting in childhood or adulthood.
Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias, yet many people have never seen a snake in person. So how is this fear generated? New research suggests humans have evolved an innate tendency to sense snakes — and spiders, too — and to learn to fear them.
Only fear of heights, enclosed spaces and the dark are more common; fear of snakes is fourth in the list, just ahead of the fear of spiders in fifth. For some people, their fear of snakes is one great big downside to moving to Australia, for others this fear is enough to prevent them from moving to this country at all.
The new study builds on years of experiments by psychologists. They found that the widespread fear of snakes stems from a perceptual bias: people recognize snakes faster than other objects. This bias toward snakes isn't simply the result of learning to fear them. Children recognize snakes just as quickly as adults.
Spiders evoked the strongest response from the study's participants, racking up a total of 4.39 points out of 5 for fear and 4.47 points for disgust. Snakes — the poisonous ones, not the innocuous grass snakes — took second place, at least in terms of evoking dread.
Both venomous and nonvenomous snakes are extremely wary of humans and are not prone to strike. A bite is their last-ditch effort to avoid harm. Simply leaving a snake to do its job in the landscape is the best way to avoid a bad encounter.
More than 60 per cent of Australians fear public spaces or large crowds.
"Including the brown, tiger, black, taipan, death adder and certain sea snakes and all these snakes are found in Queensland," Mr Farry said. "Most Australian snake bites are associated with minimal local pain and bite marks can be easily missed."
It's rare for Australian snakes to strike. It's even more uncommon for the fangs to penetrate clothing and the skin.
“They can be intimidating, but it's easy to lose sight of the fact that you are so much larger,” he says. “They're just little animals, and they've got their own lives going on. They're fascinating creatures with a lot of mysteries left to reveal.” Create a haven for wildlife.
We are born with only two innate fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. A 1960 study evaluated depth perception among 6- to14-month-old infants, as well as young animals.
Developmental psychologist Stefanie Hoehl is the lead researcher on a new study that suggests fear of spiders and snakes is genetic.
Abstract. Millions of people worldwide suffer from specific phobias. Almost any stimulus may trigger a phobic reaction, but snakes are among the most feared objects. Half of the population feel anxious about snakes and 2-3% meet the diagnostic criteria for snake phobia.
Social phobias are the most common type of fear. They are considered an anxiety disorder and include excessive self-consciousness in social situations. Some people can fear being judged so much they avoid specific situations, like eating in front of others. Up to one in 20 people have a social phobia.
Snakes can be found all over Australia, not only in the Outback. However, you will hardly see them. On all my trips I only saw a few snakes and I nearly stepped on one when I was walking along the Eyre Highway, see the picture above (at least I thought it was a snake at that time). But this won't happen every day.
A number of animals came from islands north of Australia millions of years ago. For example, elapids — a family of famously venomous snakes – swam to the continent via the island archipelagos off Asia, he says.
Predators. The species' known predators include birds of prey and feral cats.
The crime rate in Australia is much lower than in the United States of America. As Australia ranks 47th while the USA ranks on 30th according to their crime rates.
It sounds crazy, but that's what people say. Is there any truth to this? Certainly the vast majority of people rank fear of public speaking as number one – 75% according to the National Institutes of Mental Health.
Being weak or being perceived as weak – one of the biggest fears for men, as they tend to believe they are not supposed to be weak or even to be perceived as such. Being irrelevant – fear and stress in wanting their lives to mean something.
Use Natural Predators
Snakes have a few natural predators that can help keep them away. Common snake predators include cats, raccoons, pigs, turkeys, guinea hens, and foxes. Keeping any of these animals around your home will help deter snakes from coming near.
Ammonia is a common snake repellent. Snakes hate the smell of ammonia and won't come near it. Soak rags in ammonia and place them in unsealed plastic bags. Leave the bags where you usually see snakes to keep them away.
Use Natural Predators
Foxes and raccoons are common predators of snakes. Guinea hens, turkeys, pigs, and cats will also help keep snakes away.