There are potential evolutionary reasons for fear of darkness, but our language also plays a role. This specific fear, nyctophobia, is relatively innocuous and has some fairly basic treatments. Listen in to learn about why we fear and how systematic desensitization is used to treat it.

Links for Today:

https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-the-evolutionary-reason-why-we-re-afraid-of-the-dark (Evolutionary reason for fearing darkness)

http://yourdost.com/blog/2016/03/the-psychology-of-fear-of-the-dark.html?q=%2Fblog%2F2016%2F03%2Fthe-psychology-of-fear-of-the-dark.html (More evolution and stats about fear of darkness)

https://www.verywellmind.com/fear-of-dark-2671872 (Symptoms and treatment of nyctophobia)

https://www.verywellmind.com/diagnosing-a-specific-phobia-2671981 (Diagnostic criteria for specific phobia disorders)

https://www.amazon.com/Coddling-American-Mind-Intentions-Generation-ebook/dp/B076NVFT5P/ref=sr_1_2?crid=10L25TZN4UV4U&dchild=1&keywords=the+coddling+of+the+american+mind&qid=1600603082&sprefix=the+coddling+%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-2 (Book on getting over fear of darkness)

https://letgrow.org/prof-jonathan-haidt-on-how-overparenting-backfires-and-how-to-undo-the-damage/ (Overparenting as it contributes to fear of darkness)

https://www.healthline.com/health/nyctophobia#treatment (Treatment for nyctophobia)

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.850.9170&rep=rep1&type=pdf (Unpublished dissertation on desensitization to reduce fear of darkness in children)

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