Fear Factor

‘A VISIT from your in-laws may be a source of terror for all but the likes of Posh and Becks, but it’s not even in our Top 10 of greatest fears.

Nothing that a squirt of Baygon can’t sort out

Top of the list, according to the Express, is our fear of spiders and other creepy-crawlies – which causes us more stress even than the prospect of a terrorist attack.

Psychologist Donna Dawson explains that the fear of small creatures – also known as antandecophobia – is ancient and primordial.

‘It goes straight back to caveman days,’ she says, ‘and what might be lurking in the back darkness of our cave homes which could hurt us.’

By the same token, we should be terrified of woolly mammoths and sabre toothed tigers – but they don’t even figure in the list.

Instead, our betes noirs (after spiders and terrorists) are snakes, followed by our fear of heights, death, dentists, injections, public speaking, debt and flying.

Other fears mentioned included the fear of growing old alone, of turning into your parents and of waking up naked next to a very happy looking Vanessa Feltz.’

Posted: 11th, October 2004 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink