Phobia of the Week: Arachnophobia Epic Science #77

Are we hardwired to fear spiders? And does the size of our fear affect the size of the eight-legged horror creeping across our bedspread? Robert breaks down some of the science behind arachnophobia.

VIDEOS REFERENCED:

EXTREME SPIDER SCARE

Giant Spider Scare (ORIGINAL)

Scary Spider Stands Up!

Weather camera spider scares Kristi

[sophiejohnston]

My skins still crawling from the spiders in the video.

[JoyThirsty]

This is a helpful and important episode.  Thanks for making it!

[jpxenovore]

If the spiders would just stay the hell out of my bed, we could coexist just fine. Until that day: Blood. Blood and oblivion.

[Ganbalf]

im not afraid of spiders but i hava a phobia for not taking enough, it did probably evolve when a was like 5 years old and had nightmares about taking to much and then not have anything, i have that exact dream everytime i have fever about 12 years later.

[IrishEyes]

I'm not scared of really tiny little spiders, like the light-coloured ones that you see in the summer, but the big black thick-legged ones that can run really fast, they creep me right out. I remember dropping my math textbook on one in my room when I was in high school. I thought there was no way it could still be alive. I lifted the book up and, to my horror, the little bugger kept running!! :O

[BariumCobaltNitrogn]

I hate spiders, but I have an irrational fear of idiots, like the closer they get the stupider they make me. I hate that.

[ivazeaandes]

I feel like the odd one out. I like to watch spiders. I had a Running Crab Spider on my porch and just watched it. I liked how it looked like it was wearing camo. Watching orb weavers is calming, but watching jumpers and other hunting types is fascinating.

[MarkLucasProductions]

No arachnophobe cares whether a spider is 'poisonous' or not. I can physically poke a deadly Australian 'red-back spider' without any fear but I have trouble believing that anyone could be as seriously terrified of "harmless" Australian huntsman spiders as I am. It must be hardwired because it's so catastrophic.    

[lahdeedah]

I have globaphobia. Its embarrassing. Even the sound of someone rubbing a balloon makes me cringe and gets my heart rate flying. 

[creepypastaoctavia]

Even though they're not that dangerous, Huntsman's are massive. I can stand little spiders (even redbacks) but once you get me infront of one that can jump and/or is bigger than my hand, I will freak. Spiders like the daddy long legs I will let crawl on me and I often observe them, it's interesting watching them catch food and spin webs :)

[LavenderTexas]

Thanatophobia, Katsaridaphobia or Blattodephobia or Nyctophobia

[alecchvirko]

Please do claustrophobia. I would love to know more about that one.

[skimpyskeleton]

I had a dream that I was walking home from school and when I got there I had to vault myself over a wall, and it was covered in little spiders. I carefully avoided them (because my dream-self has balls of steel), but then there was this huge tarantula (by huge I mean bigger than the average human). After throwing a few statues around, I finally managed to kill it by repeatedly smashing a magically conjured bag of ice over his head until it was just that nasty blue/green bug blood. <- lol bug blood

[TheSentientCloud]

I actually think certain spiders are rather cute. It's the tiny and/or shiny spiders  that freak me out. 

I'm scared of red lights *_* erytrophotophobia...

[lizjoe]

Spiders are NOT poisonous, they're venomous. I would've thought a channel like HowStuffWorks would be able to easily differentiate between poisonous and venomous things.

[QR]

I think some kind of spiders are pretty cute, personally.

[hollybaughman]

I have a fear of arachnophobia social phobia public speaking mostly bc I have Aspergers and fear of heights.

[Patralgan]

I'm not so much afraid of spiders as I am to their webs

[marklewis]

Ive never been arachnophobic. My phobia, however, is bathophobia. :D

[alexsanchez]

I'm not but my phobia is pretty weird I will skydive I will swim with sharks but I will never talk or meet a clown I hate them they are so freaky I think it's the voice they do or the makeup all because of the movie IT from Stephen King I watched it in 2009 and I'm a 23 year old now and I'm still scared of clowns.