Why are Humans so Afraid of Insects

Abstract

Fear of wild animals have been considered as an evolutionary adaptation for long period, because most of them are potential predators to humans. But less known is whether insects elicit similar fear in humans. In this paper an attempt is made to examine, if fear of insects in humans were similarly justified, that is if the excessive stigma associated with insects and entomophobia were related to the danger insects posed to humans, or not. This hypothesis was tested by examining the human response of fear owing to either disgust or perception of danger; to real pictures of insects. The methodology followed in this study is critical analysis based on theoretical approach and survey by following the tools of questionnaire. Pictures of ten different type of insects were presented to 44 students who categorized each animal into one of the four groups based on the fear they had, fear of being bitten, fear of contamination, fear of infestation and disgust. In this research, systematic method is applied to find out the veracity of facts and their interrelations. Efforts are being made to attain relevant knowledge and to analyse research problem by means of collection, analysis, tabulation and interpretation of data, utilization of interdisciplinary approach by evaluation of behaviour and attitude of individuals by observation and pre-structured questionnaire. Apart from these, primary and secondary sources are utilized for this venture. The objective method has been applied for this perusal in order to expose the work, on a rational basis. The qualitative approach intensifies the nature of the methodology of this study. In sum, the study is analytical, and objective in nature. The results are analysed systematically and scientifically.

Fear towards insects and other arthropods: A cross sectional study in a Malaysian university

“…Cockroach excreta can be found in a heavily infested house usually with accompanying strong malodorous smell. Further, cockroach was seen as dangerous and a cause of fear due to its disgusting nature and ability to spread disease (Jose, 2019).…”

When Do We Start Caring About Insect Welfare?

“…Their small brains may limit the sophistication of their sentience, which when combined with the traditional view of them being “lower on the scale of nature” than vertebrates, may have inhibited exploration of their mental capacities. Furthermore, insects are detested by a large proportion of the human population (Lorenz et al 2014 ), triggering feelings of fear and disgust (Fukano and Soga 2021 ), although there is variation among species in how much disgust they elicit (Jose 2019 ). This is due to their unfamiliar appearance, smaller stature and morphological and behavioural differences (Prokop et al 2011 ).…”