Fact of the Day: The Science on the Fear of Cockroaches

2018-04-20 , 4:00 pm

You’ll have this friend: when she sees a cockroach, even if it’s metres away, she’ll scream out loud and jump around as if she has seen a ghost instead of a cockroach.

Tell her that GST is going to increase to 15% instead of the projected 9% and she’ll be indifferent. Just saying the word “cockroach” will send her into a frenzy.

Or maybe you’re that friend. Fret not: it’s very common, and there’s actually a scientific basis for this.

Now, that makes you feel so much better, right? To put things into perspective, it must be understood that cockroaches are pretty harmless creatures—the worst they can offer is an upset stomach, compared to other household pests like mosquitoes.

However, why do we fear this harmless creature so much? If you have guessed it’s due to its looks, you’ve got it partially right.

You see, we humans are programmed to fear things that are greasy, smelly and slimy—it usually connotes danger. This is technically a pizza…but most of us would cringe when seeing this image. It’s just human nature: this tells you it’s dangerous subconsciously (because seeing this is like seeing your own organs: when you see them, you GG liao).

Here, take a look.

Think of all the dangerous chemicals and insects: they all fit this description.

And now, imagine a “danger” that can move at lightning speed. Are you aware that cockroaches are one of the fastest moving creatures in the world? Can you imagine how scary it is to see a speeding bullet flying towards you?

Yeah, it’s a similar kind of fear. Danger that flies.

In other words, don’t feel bad about fearing cockroaches: everyone of us is programmed that way.

The second reason is pretty interesting: compared to the first that is nature, the second is nurture.

Since we were young, we have seen people reacting with such over-dramatic fear to cockroaches that the fear is amplified in our minds. We know they’re harmless, but the world is so afraid of them that we somehow add that to our list of “fears” unconsciously.

You know, like “monkey-see-monkey-do”? Same logic here.

Technically speaking, the phobia of cockroaches is called katsaridaphobia, and there could be tens of millions of people having this phobia.

There is an actual “treatment” to this condition if it really affects you too much, usually by facing them to overcome the phobia. But most people just let that fear stays because does not really compromise your quality of life.

Whatever is the case, we do know of a solution for Singaporean males who has katsaridaphobia: serve your NS in the army.

So far, most people who have been through field camp would overcome that fear because over in the jungle, they’ll be facing even bigger, greasier, smellier and slimier creatures—sometimes even having them crawling in your body for minutes.

But of course, if you can’t overcome it, it’s okay lah. You’re not alone, and it’s pretty harmless…right?

Oh, wait. Maybe not.

Now you’ve become smarter. Remember to check back tomorrow in the Goody Feed app for a new fact!

Fact of the Day: The Science on the Fear of Cockroaches

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