Herp Report: Fear rules
Ophidiophobia is the number one thing that terrorizes people. For those of us that live with snakes, we can’t understand this. I have worked with folks to help get over the fear, however some just never wish to work over this.
A truly sad story from OneIndia today:
Out of both curiosity and panic, several people came to see the snakes and killed them with sticks. The dead snakes were then placed in a bowl and burnt in a field.
“Naza Naza (cobra) is a rear species of snake. According to tradition, snakes should not be killed, but the villagers did so out of fear. We will look into the matter and we will ensure that it is not repeated. We are trying to make some plans to catch the snakes in future,” said Apurba Sen, a divisional forest officer.
From Inventorspot, a pill now helps overcome the fear:
ow, Dr. Yadin Dudai, head of the recent Weizman study, has pinpointed the area of the brain that is vital in overcoming fear. By scanning the brains of volunteers with and without fear of snakes – ophidiophobia, Dr. Dudai observed the exact area in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex responsible for bravery.
The subjects controlled their own exposure to a live snake placed on a conveyor belt running in front of them, through a button that would bring the snake closer or further away. A subject demonstrated bravery by moving the snake physically closer to him. The closer the the subject moved the snake towards him, the more the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex was involved, lighting up when those with fear of snakes showed bravery.
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