“The rather uncomfortable feeling most of us have when we're around snakes is evidence of how this ancient experience continues to influence us today. Throughout the long prehistory of our species and those that preceded it, snakes were a mortal threat. And so we learned our lesson. Others didn't, but that had a nasty habit of dying. So natural selection did its work and the rule--beware of snakes--was ultimately hardwired into every human brain. It's universal. Go anywhere on the planet, examine any culture. People are wary of snakes. Even if--as in the Arctic--there are no snakes. Our primate cousins shared our long experience and they feel the same way: Even monkeys raised in laboratories who have never seen a snake will back away at the sight of one.”
Daniel Gardner
The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn't--and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger
-
Working on it...
-
Working on it...
-
Working on it...
-
Working on it...
Similar quotes
“When you've been around a snake long enough, you learn how to crawl in the dirt.”
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Glitter Baby
“For every snake, there is a ladder; for every ladder,a snake”
Salman Rushdie
Midnight's Children
“A snake must be treated as a snake, forgiving it every time it showed you its fangs, will not transform into a garland of flowers.”
Himmilicious
“You're right. And so was my snake."Snake?"He pulled my arm out to expose my bracelet. "When I carved this my thoughts were on you, love. Your life is like this snake's coils. No matter how many turns it makes, you'll end up back where you belong. With me.”
Maria V. Snyder
“Remember, it isn't the snake bite that does the serious damage; it's chasing the snake that drives the poison to the heart.”
Covey, Stephen R.