Many if not all kids growing up are scared if not absolutely of the dark, including me. Even now sometimes if I know I’m home alone and I hear a creaking floorboard, window shutting, or a bump in the dark, I still get a little cautious and at least look for something I could use as a weapon just in case. The chances that someone or something is actually in the house to hurt me are very slim, but there’s still a chance and that gives me caution. I know for a fact that people my age (23) are even STILL scared of the dark. You can’t tell me after you turn off the lights downstairs you don’t run as fast as you can upstairs just to be out of the dark, it’s just unsettling to be in the dark. But, why?
As it turns out, it’s not the actual dark that people are scared of, it’s the unknown. When you cannot see into that dark corner of your closet, your mind starts imagining shapes, noises, and many other “scary” things. It’s human nature to be curious so when you remove one way we can explore, like our ability to be able to see, it throws our senses into disarray which causes fear and panic. Some individuals are way less prone to letting this panic overwhelm them. To some, it’s the exact opposite and they have no way to calm down unless they regain that sense. This fear acts as a checks and balances system to avoid reckless behavior such as running around the African safari at nighttime. For a very large portion of humanities early days, we were not at the top of the food chain or even close. Very quickly humans learned that many dangerous predators like to use the cover of darkness for hunting so they learned to avoid the nighttime for movement.
Studies have shown that darkness is actually good for us and not embracing it might actually be harmful. Prolonged exposure to light before one goes to sleep suppresses the the sleep hormone melatonin which may increase risk of mood disorders, obesity, and sleep disorders. It’s completely natural to be scared of the dark, but should we be any more worried about violent crime happening after the sun sets? The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey shows us that most violent crimes occur just before 6pm and right around midnight. So though many people are afraid of the dark, crime statistics do not show that this fear is justified solely on the premise of their being more crime during the dark.
All in all, this is not me telling you that it’s completely safe to walk down that dimly lit alleyway just because it’ll take shorter, but it is me telling you that your fear of the dark is justified all the way back to the cavemen. So fortunately, there will be no monsters hiding in the dark corner of your closet when you get home, but it never hurts to check and ease your conscience.
Sources:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/why-are-we-afraid-of-the-dark.html
http://gizmodo.com/why-were-afraid-of-the-dark-and-why-its-good-that-we-a-1448915260
http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/are-you-still-afraid-of-the-dark
It is definitely interesting looking at the psychological factors of your fears. Some part of our brain is telling us to be cautious of what hides in the dark because something COULD be within its depths. Is this the same part of the brain that is defective in those with schizophrenic disorders?
I have heard many people say that its not the dark that is scary it is what could be in that dark that I am afraid of. Your post is very interesting and makes a good point.
This is very interesting because I am very afraid of the dark. I get scared in my dorm room with my roommate with me even while we have the door locked. I do not know why, but I do not always feel uncomfortable when I cannot see everything around me. I read an article that states that we are afraid of the dark because people want to survive. It talks about nature and nurture. People naturally want to survive if they can and when it is dark, it is considered more dangerous. So it is good to be alert when you are nervous about the dark, but too much worrying is probably unnecessary in our society today.
http://gizmodo.com/why-were-afraid-of-the-dark-and-why-its-good-that-we-a-1448915260
This article took me back a couple of years. At some point in our lives we are all terribly afraid of one thing or another. One of my biggest fears when I was younger was clowns. At first it is hard to get over but after time we forget about it and most of us usually conquer our fears. Read this article for a list of the most common fears.
http://www.selfhelpcollective.com/most-common-fears.html
I was afraid of the dark until I was in seventh grade; I always slept with the door open so light could get in. Now I need it as dark as possible to sleep. When we are little our imaginations take our mind to a different place where things appear in the dark and scare you. These things don’t actually exist, we are making them up in our minds. Another thing that makes the human mind so interesting.