By Daniela Ivančáková Arisen from a scorpion sting, passed on from generation to generation and powered by an odd beauty standard – theories about the most common phobia or why do we hate spiders so much? With a bonus guide to Spiders of Taiwan. (image: iStock) If you have not yet had the pleasurable experience of encountering an eight-legged creature with a vile aura that is bigger than the palm of your hand, while exploring Taiwan, well… you either haven’t been around much or you live in a blessed state of obliviousness. The hiking possibilities of this island are truly extraordinary and I, just like the majority of exchange students, have fallen in love with this beautiful, straight-out-of-oversaturated-pic-on-Pinterest kind of nature. Until one day, I looked up. From Jiufen’s Spiders in the sky, to Elephant Mountain’s yellow-spotted giants to the furry dorm spider – I’ve seen a lot, but there is more. Elephant mountain Yuantong Dorms Jiufen My descriptions are obviously exaggerated, but I’m sure some of you felt a little nauseous looking at these pictures. Arachnophobia, or extreme fear of spiders, remains occupying the first place at the most common phobias rank. But why are we scared of them? There are multiple theories about why arachnophobia has been so prevalent for such a long time now, as it jumps from generation to generation. The first one is, that it quite literally ‘jumps’ as a taught behavior from our parents in childhood and early adolescence. Aside from our guardians, it could also be taught by other role models, especially in media. Whether it’s a cartoon depicting the spider as a bad guy or a pop-culture idol freaking out when encountering spiders, we have probably all seen arachnophobia on screen at some point in our childhood. According to some psychologists, because of how often it is shown to us, the commonness of this phobia can be understood as some kind of placebo effect or irrational fear formed by influences of our environment. Another theory argues that it is based on an ancient and justified fear of scorpions as well as other eight-legged poisonous creatures. This self-preservation instinct is so embedded into the human race that we are basically born with it. And lastly, a more recent theory is based on the fact that lots of people don’t describe their emotions toward spiders as ‘fear’ but rather ‘disgust’. From this, an assumption emerged, that we might be perceiving insects based on certain beauty standards, which is often demonstrated by the example of a moth and a butterfly. They are pretty much the same bug, but one is a colorful flying piece of art and the other one, ew. Even though it’s not backed up by extensive research, it is speculated that it might be the same case with spiders and their odd body proportions, which seem ugly to the human eye. Whether we are judging a book by its cover (since more than 99% of spiders are actually not harmful) or we were taught not to like them, those creatures undoubtedly have an attitude. Unpredictable sprints and jumps with the power stance on all eight - spiders demand a mad amount of fear-based respect which seems crazy in comparison to their size and abilities. Especially these Taiwanese ones will make a grown individual climb on the table and scream in terror, because of the 7 centimeters of their existence. Admirable. Even though Taiwan is not Australia, trust me, it will do. Take a look at some of the beasts living around us on this island. Nephila pilipes or Giant Golden Orb-weaver (photo: Wikipedia) Size: up to 20 cm Habitat: Forests, gardens Poisonous: Yes, but not harmful to humans Fun fact: The biggest species in Taiwan Trichonephila Clavate or Joro spider (photo: UGA Today) Size: up to 10 cm Habitat: Forests, parks Poisonous: Yes, bite comparable to a bee sting Fun fact: Considered to be the shyest spider species Heteropoda venatoria or Huntsman spider (photo: iNaturalist) Size: up to 13 cm Habitat: Houses and other inside spaces Poisonous: Yes, bites cause swelling but aren’t dangerous Fun fact: Often nicknamed Taiwanese house spider, because of its frequent presence in households all across the island Pancorius taiwanensis or Jumping spider (photo: Wikipedia) Size: up to 3 cm Habitat: Forests Poisonous: Yes, bite comparable to a bee sting Fun fact: Can jump to a distance that equals 30 times the length of their body Macrothele taiwanensis or Funnel-web spider (photo: iNaturalist)
Size: up to 5 cm Habitat: Mountains Poisonous: Yes, one of the most venomous spiders of Taiwan. Fun fact: Taiwanese indigenous tribes called them ‘Darumas’ and believed that people would be blind if they saw the spider’s nest. The overall point is, that they will eventually find you. In parks, mountains, and even inside spaces, but thankfully, the majority are not harmful to humans and don’t bite or attack if not threatened. There might be certain beauty to them, but if arachnophobia doesn’t let you see it, just don’t look up. References: Dockrill, P. (2017, October 23). We Really Are Born With a Natural Fear of Spiders And Snakes, New Study Shows : ScienceAlert. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/deep-unshakeable-fear-spiders-no-random-quirk-fate-born-arachnophobia Frynta, D., Janovcová, M., Štolhoferová, I., Peléšková, Š., Vobrubová, B., Frýdlová, P., Skalíková, H., Šípek, P., & Landová, E. (2021). Emotions triggered by live arthropods shed light on spider phobia. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01325-z Morales-Brown, L. (2020, July 30). What to know about arachnophobia. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/arachnophobia#symptoms Smith, Z. (2023). Why Are People Afraid Of Spiders? Smith’s Pest Management. https://smithspestmanagement.com/blog/post/why-are-people-afraid-of-spiders/ Spider Identifications. (n.d.). Spider identifications. https://spideridentifications.com/ 台灣長尾蛛 Macrothele taiwanensis.(n.d.). http://gaga.biodiv.tw/9708bx/041.htm a
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May 2024
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