Fear and loathing: An evolutionary explanation

For a truly fascinating example biological approach in action, listen to this short account of new research on the fear of snakes amongst primates and monkeys. Evidently, it’s hard-wired into the neurons of our visual apparatus, and thus must be an inherited behavior with its sources in the evolutionary process.

This is an interesting demonstration of how our behavior may be shaped by our biology. But what about people who love snakes and even keep them as pets? Have they conquered a primal fear, and have they learnt to overcome even the most securely hard-wired responses? What does this suggest about the validity of evolutionary explanations, and about their usefulness for psychological understanding?

Peter Anthony

(This article was inspired by Stuart Cipinko)