Is fear of the dark an atavism caused by evolutionary psychology?

fear of the unknown

>>8092956
But why? At least in my circumstances, it's completely irrational. I'd accept it as a phobia, yet I can't pin any environmental factor or traumatic event that would cause it.

Also, it seems to be a somewhat common fear.

>>8092978
uhh of course its common its the like the only fear all humans have. And it makes perfect sense, Going into an unknown is dangerous, especially when it's nearly pitch black, plenty of evolutionary reasons for it to be bred into us.

>>8092944
We cant fucking see in the dark so it makes sense to avoid it since its lack of sensory information its the same reason we go nuts in complete silence as well.

>>8093015
Well yeah, but it doesn't necessarily cause physical symptoms of fears for most people.

>>8093032
Fear is just a way to force you to go into self defense mode done by the brain.

>>8093032
Yes it does, it might be worse for some people, but pretty much everyone will become more nervous, uneasy, have shallower breathing and heightened heart rate. Especially if you're alone, in an unfamiliar location or if it is also very quiet.

>>8093042
Welp, if I somehow found myself in the middle of a forest at night, I'd probably die of a heart attack.

I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of people that had to spend nights in unknown places by themselves and had no problem.

>>8093047
Is this something you've always had, or have you only noticed it since you've moved?

>>8093052
This is kind of cringeworthy, but I've also had it when I had to go up the stairs in the darkness as I lived in a block of flats on the fourth level without any elevator.

I really don't know why I have this irrational fear as I had no traumatic experience involving the dark or whatever as a child. And I'm not some /x/ tier sperg that believes in ghosts or what not, yet in such situations I subconsciously start to believe in the supernatural or whatever, even if rationally I have no such inclinations.

>>8093056
It's pretty logical that reduced sensory information could lead to irrational fear. a big reason to feel unafraid in public is because you trust your senses to warn you of threats before they get close. now you fear that when you do see something, it wont be an adequate warning, but simply the first moment you knew things were not okay.

Talking out of my ass because it's not a problem for me, but the train of thought is pretty simple to imagine.

>>8093056
Anon you will start to hallucinate in complete darkness because the brain cannot handle not having a constant input of visual information, most people see ghost because the brain goes for the nearest thing associated with being in the darkness to fuck with you with in the hallucination. Now in darkness you cant see anything meaning you cant see predators, you cant see things trying to eat you so it makes sense to be scared in the dark not because of monsters but because of the unknown factor.

>>8093068
But do you think such a fear is purely environmental or does it also have some genetic basis(evolutionary psychology)?
>>8093070
Well yeah, but even if it isn't completely pitch black, I still experience some panic attack symptoms.

You are all dumb ITT,

The main reason of fearing the dark is that is a lot easier to get ambushed by a predator when in the dark.

Every anon trying to explain it different is an idiot.

>>8093088
Do you consider that panic attack symptoms are the normal reaction of your average person in such a scenario?

>>8093075
Well, if its dark, that means you came out of cave where your tribe lives, which means predators are ont he hunt, which means you are in danger.

Hundreds of Thousands of years your grand-grand-.....-ftherss lives like this, so its in your brain. Of course you fear dark, its comepletely normal. for your brain (for you) darkness means danger, It affects almost everyone, just with different power.

>>8093088
see

>>8093068
>you trust your senses to warn you of threats before they get close

so thx for contribootin 2 da thread

>>8093094
Fair enough.

>>8093093
It depends. If you have the notion that the area you are living is criminal then it is possible.

There are many more other factors to it, for example, if you consider your self able to defend yourself physically an attack or to be able to escape an ambush. A weak physically fellow that never hit the gym would possibly feel more exposed to these dangers. Also genetically some people have a stronger sense of danger and self perseverance than others. You can see some people develop OCD and other anxious related issues for this reason.

>>8093015
that shit with silence making you uncomfortable is just absolute bullshit.
fucking "little known facts" its just pure bullshit

>>8093493
Oh really smart guy, then into a sensory deprivation room and see how nuts you go in a couple of minutes.

>>8093506
veritasium did it and he said it's just kinda comfortable. I trust him over fucking factoid or whatever.
People leave the room after 15 minutes because its fucking boring to sit in a room for 15 minuted

>>8093506
also, nice tests on the effect of silence on people when the lights are turned off aswell.

File: 2016-05-23-14-20-43--1825543604.jpg (6KB, 300x168px) Image search: [Google]

6KB, 300x168px

>>8093515
Because they know they can leave anon...
Because they know they can leave...

>>8093903
I thought that picture was a frog doing goatze

>>8092944
I don't think many people are afraid of the dark. What we fear is harm and not being able to prevent it, and that's not an atavism but just makes sense.

You might be an exception but most people have absolutely no problem with the dark if they know they are safe.

What you experience might be a consequence of your heightened awareness.

>>8093042
Wouldn't it be worse if it was loud? You wouldn't be able to hear an attacker coming.

>>8093956
We are afraid of loud sounds because low pitch loud noises usually came from our predators in Africa. It also be out brain trying to protect our ears as well.

>>8092978
The part of your brain that regulates the fear of the unknown isn't and doesn't have to be rational. You're consious-o-morphizing your unconscious machinery. It don't care bout no materialisms and logics.