Fear is a fascinating thing. Some degree of fear is essential to our survival – in fact, a major part of the training of all living creatures after birth is in figuring out how to keep themselves safe and secure from danger. In order to do that, we need to sort out what to be afraid of, what can injure us, etc. Fear is useful because it helps to separate friend from foe. As children, our caregivers teach us which foods are okay to eat, which animals to avoid, which actions will result in harm. Much of this knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation; that is how evolution works—experiences in the environment provide information which shape our actions, brains, and bodies—both in the short as well as long term.
The common fear of snakes, for example, is thought to result from the fact that snakes were one of the biggest threats that our human ancestors faced centuries ago. Snakes evolved before humans and were harder to detect compared to other more visible predators, thereby posing more of a threat. So the fact that many people are afraid of snakes today,
