EEK! Emotional responses, such as fear of spiders, snakes, and heights, may have evolved to protect us from danger (Plomin, DeFries, Knopik, & Neiderhiser, 2013). Avoiding harmful creatures and precarious drop-offs would tend to increase the chances of survival, particularly for our primitive ancestors living in the wild. But when such fears become excessive and irrational, a specific phobia might be present.
skydie/Shutterstock