Wired For Fear Essay

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Imagine you are sitting on your porch, and suddenly something starts moving in the grass, heading your direction. You lean forward out of curiosity. Then you see it, it stops; it appears to be staring at you. It is a disgusting, slimy-looking creature with fangs that is about to jump at you. Yes, it is a snake! You quietly sidle to the side, so it does not attack for you are afraid of its deadly venom. The feeling of faintness and dizziness overcomes you, which is a sign of anxiety. Moreover, you cry and scream hysterically after moving away from it. If you have experienced something similar, you may have a case of Ophidiophobia, the phobia or abnormal fear of snakes. Not to worry, there are cures for this phobia.
Most people are afraid of snakes but are not petrified by them to the point they are fainting. The video Wired for Fear by California Science Center shows that the amygdala is the threat center always on the look-out for danger. For example, when someone sees a snake or something that looks like a snake, their amygdala is activated. Most people would freeze and their heart rate would go up. If it were a real snake, they would slowly back away, or if it was not a snake, they would calm down. A person with ophidiophobia …show more content…

In the informational text Fears and Phobias by kidshealth.org, it tells you about how past experiences can affect you when you are older. For example, your annoying brother hid a snake in your bed when you were a child and ever since then you have been terrified of snakes. What you believe in can also affect the way you think of things, such as snakes. In most cultures snakes are a symbol of evil and darkness. Many fears are accidentally taught to people by someone else. For example, when you were a child you saw your parent(s) react to a movie. You learned to fear snakes from their reaction. Another example, if you read a scary book about snakes. You have learned to fear snakes from that

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