Spiders.

[colly]

Are we genetically programmed to act like a big girls blouse when we come across them?

Re-arranging my workshop tonight I was moving rolls of fabric that haven't been touched for years. Naturally there's lots of dust and fluff and plenty of cobwebs, only to be expected of course. Out the corner of my eye I caught sight of movement. A dark shape. Moving purposefully, even stealthily, but not fast, no more than six inches from my hand.
A couple of milliseconds later I had deduced it was a spider, a big one, it was hairy, it was moving to get me and I was in mortal danger. I started like I had touched a live cable. The truly visceral feeling of panic/revulsion that went through me was instant and uncontrollable.

I'm not, by and large worried by spiders. One in the room? So what?
One on the ceiling over the bed? Forget it and go to sleep. One on the bed? Brush it off and go to sleep. I don't ever kill them but I might put one outside if it's bothering my Mrs or the dog.

So what would make me react like that?

Mind you it WAS big and I knew for certain it had it in for me, personally.

 

[potsy]

You big girl

 

[ianrauk]

I'm one of those well 'ard geezers that can pick up any spider and chase the missus round the house with it. Hours of fun.

 

[laurence]

can't stand spideys!

good film about them on Autumnwatch tonight though

 

[RiflemanSmith]

No the fear is instilled in us by other people.
I used to put spiders in my nieces hand when she was a little girl and she loved them but her mum and dad are both pansies.
So consequently she grew up being scared of them.

 

[RiflemanSmith]

I'm one of those well 'ard geezers that can pick up any spider and chase the missus round the house with it. Hours of fun.

I might have a couple that you wouldn't pick up.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Are we genetically programmed to act like a big girls blouse when we come across them?

Well you may be but I'm certainly not

 

[ianrauk]

I might have a core that you wouldn't pick up.

Yeah I saw you deal in spiders
I have held tarantulas before. They hold no fear either

 

[ColinJ]

I think that I might have been bitten by a spider the other day! I don't know what else it could have been, but what started off as a small bite on a finger created one swollen throbbing red digit! It took about 3 days to calm down again and now there is just a small scab.

Hint: Don't Google for spider bite pictures if you are squeamish!

 

[neil earley]

Hate things that has more legs than me specially when their eyes are on stalks!! Now where that can of insect spray .

 

[RiflemanSmith]

No you held Nice placid tarantulas, there are tarantulas that will go mental and bite you, with some pretty strong venom.
You wouldn't hold any of my widows either?

 

[Marshmallow_Fluff]

I find spiders to be amazing creatures! Poor things are getting a lot of bad press and they are absolutely remarkable little things! I am the official SAOSC (Spiders And Other "Scary Creatures") mover in the household, as my BF is such a girl and I'm the only one who can transfer delicate beings outside..

(I think reading Charlotte's Web as a child helped..)

 

[Night Train]

I have no problem at all with spiders or other small beings. The exception is moths and that is a child hood irrational phobia. It stemed from trying to sleep in a room with a bare light bulb that was being circled by a moth, casting giant shadows sweeping around the walls like Dementors from Harry Potter.

 

[summerdays]

I won't pick them up in my hand, but other than that I'm not bothered by them and can quite happily live with them, unlike most of my family. The other day there was an enormous one near Mr Summerdays who was holding a pile of plates so I told him to set them down before he saw it, otherwise he would probably drop them.

 

[Arch]

Out the corner of my eye I caught sight of movement.

So what would make me react like that?

I reckon this is the reason. It's easy to be rational about something you can see clearly. But something out of the corner of your eye is a uncertain, makes you jump. Adrenalin kicks in, and that heightens your senses and emotions.

Makes evolutionary sense - where we evolved, there are far more nasty creepy crawly things than there are now. Better to react quickly and move away, and then check it out.