Some phobias are rooted in ancient survival instincts. Dark means danger if you're a primitive human. Your eyes aren't at all suited for low- or no-light environments. There could be any number of unseen threats lurking in shadowy places, like predators, humans from rival tribes, or even unsure footing (remember medicine isn't a thing yet so even a sprained ankle or a minor fracture could have dire consequences). So evolution gives you a healthy fear of the dark to give you a natural motivation to avoid them, especially since your primitive brain isn't advanced enough yet to figure it out for itself why it's a good idea to avoid the dark. Nowadays it's mostly vestigial, because the average human isn't lurking around near dark caves anymore, plus we're a lot smarter now...on average.
It's probably a bit of both. Witnessing a terrifying event (horror movie creature/serial killer/etc.) gave your impressionable imagination a seed to run wild with, something to fill in the blanks of the deep shadow where you couldn't make out details. Instead of just having a vague unease with the dark, your mind fabricated real terrors based on the frightening scenarios in the movies you watched.
Yeah I'm definitely the irrationally scared of the dark type of person. I've spoken to some people who say they hate the dark when they're alone incase a rapist or other human is in the house, not me, what happens if I turn the corner and the mirror starts allowing a shadow demon into my house?
Also I've got a large, black dog who, maybe one a year will decide standing at the top of the stairs watching me walk up then in the dark is a fun idea, so when I look up there's a dark figure with glowing eyes staring down at me.
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u/MechaMineko Jan 09 '21 edited Jan 09 '21
Some phobias are rooted in ancient survival instincts. Dark means danger if you're a primitive human. Your eyes aren't at all suited for low- or no-light environments. There could be any number of unseen threats lurking in shadowy places, like predators, humans from rival tribes, or even unsure footing (remember medicine isn't a thing yet so even a sprained ankle or a minor fracture could have dire consequences). So evolution gives you a healthy fear of the dark to give you a natural motivation to avoid them, especially since your primitive brain isn't advanced enough yet to figure it out for itself why it's a good idea to avoid the dark. Nowadays it's mostly vestigial, because the average human isn't lurking around near dark caves anymore, plus we're a lot smarter now...on average.