Why do humans feel more frightened when they see animals that resemble themselves?

Uncanny Valley. The concept was used in a 1970 academic article. Robotics researchers who were originally Japanese found that when robots become more and more dependent on humans, we will improve their good feelings, but when robots are too close to humans, once our good feelings are disgusting and frightening, they can also be used to use animals, and when animals are like humans, humans are more afraid.

This is an interesting psychological phenomenon. When the shape of an item is close to a person, we will increase according to its resemblance to us, the more similar we feel. But when their shape is very close to our own appearance, we suddenly feel an inexplicable threat and fear.

This very abrupt turning point is the "uncanny valley" effect.

So why do people have the uncanny valley effect?

The uncanny valley effect may be a physiological defense mechanism for human evolution.

We have a long evolutionary process, gradually developing a set of "robust" physiological defense mechanisms. This physiological defense mechanism is related to the reproduction of our mating and the prevention of disease.

For example, by taking the mating and reproduction of offspring, our humans gradually develop the ability to recognize good mates and avoid inferior ones, which makes themselves better cultivated.

The presence of animals like human beings marks low survival rates and fertility rates.

low, which may be disgusting to us. Similarly, this appearance may also malfunction, a pathogenesis that will make us naturally evasive behavior. We have the same survival mechanism for severe illness and cadavers.

The uncanny valley effect may also come from human cognitive models.

A person is our human being, and there is no ability to distinguish between real and false forms of high-simulated individuals. Many highly simulated robots, both in terms of their physical appearance, behavior, and even physical movements, mental activity of the face. The degree of complete human simulation leads to the inability of the human cognitive system to distinguish between the true and the false and subtle differences, as well as inexplicable fears, in a short period of time.

Through the mating and reproduction of offspring, we humans gradually develop the ability to identify superior mates and avoid inferior mates, so that we can be better cultivated. The existence of "animals such as humans" indicates a low survival rate and a low fertility rate, which may turn us off. Again, this presence may be indicative of failure and pathogenesis, which will make us naturally avoid behavior.

We have the same survival mechanism for severe illness and cadavers.

Because there are many other species of humans similar to our ancestor "Homo sapiens" living on the earth at the same time. They may be more terrifying than tigers and lions, because their intelligence is higher and their physique is stronger than that of Homo sapiens. However, Homo sapiens eventually swept almost all continents with their sustained wisdom and good communication and cooperation skills.

However, because the early fear of other humanoids was recorded in our genes, we modern people have a fear of creatures similar to us. Because the other person may have the same advanced wisdom as me. Just like pets, if they have a higher intelligence, they are not cute beings.

Adam and Eve were also cast out of the Garden of Eden because they ate the fruit of wisdom. Wisdom is not necessarily good, cute pets are king.

To strange animals, to a dark environment. Humans have instinctive vigilance and fear. This is an instinct based on animal attributes, a survival instinct to guard against danger.

This is the uncanny valley effect, where there is an exclusivity in the human brain for similar species.

Because it reminds humans of horror monsters.

This is a kind of psychological problem, and the more serious development is mental illness.

In fact, everyone has some to a greater or lesser extent, such as fear of heights, hydrophobia, and so on.

There are several types of reasons, 1. One-sided exaggeration of the danger of a particular object. For example, I am afraid of being scratched by a dog and getting rabies, so I am afraid of dogs. (This is probably obsessive-compulsive disorder).

2. There used to be psychological shadows. For example, when I was a child, I was chased by a dog and ran away (or even just dreamed of this kind of thing when I was a child).

3. These objects of fear do not cause fear in themselves, but some of their characteristics cause fear. For example, a person with a dense phobia sees swarms of insects, etc. (which is also a psychological shadow, but it is more subtle than the previous one, and even so hidden that he himself cannot find the cause).

It doesn't matter if it doesn't affect your life, but if it reaches the point where it affects your life, it is recommended to go to a psychological clinic for counseling.

PS: I'm not a psychiatric hospital

Of course, there is also a possibility that the person has other practical reasons, such as dog hair allergies. It's just that you don't know.

This is mostly related to childhood experience and education, when a person encounters a certain injury, he will retain the information at that time in his consciousness, not only the things that hurt her herself, including the surrounding environment at that time and the things encountered in the process, and even the things that parents said and mentioned when they comforted them, will be deeply retained in the memory. It's just that the younger the age, the more vague the understanding of things, and the greater the impact.

For example, if a child is bitten by a dog, even if he is very young at the time, he will soon forget the experience, but he will henceforth be afraid of almost all hairy animals, and even when his parents comfort him, he will say, "Don't approach dogs in the future, not only dogs, cats, cats, and insects will bite their hands and pain," so the cat and the insects used were marked with terrible marks, no matter how cute he was. Although as he grew older and his knowledge grew, he learned to distinguish and use willpower to suppress fear. But that fear in the depths of the memory will not dissipate.

It's just that some girls are a little too much.

People are attracted to each other because they are different!

If it's all the same, it's no fun!

It has to do with the feeling that a person encounters from the beginning of opening his eyes and feeling all things!

Slowly, an instinct formed! And then there's the psychological effect!

A kind of unknown and unfamiliar thing, instinctively refuse!

It may be that your rabbit is accustomed to people moving around him, and animals have a sense of self-protection and will not easily approach species that he is not familiar with.

I'm afraid that people will eat it, but in fact, wild animals are quite ruthless

There are two reasons for this. Bai carnivore is not a self-zhi

The large animals on the menu, because they don't understand, DAO is already wary. Humans are larger in the genus of animals, especially if they are taller than all carnivores (the height of the animal in normal posture, that is, when walking on all fours), which naturally has a deterrent effect on animals. (Many herbivores are also taller than carnivores, but the reason carnivores are not afraid of them is that those herbivores are food for carnivores in the first place, and carnivores know from an early age that they are not scary and can be eaten).

On the other hand, predators in areas where humans are often active, due to human hunting, reinforce the fear of animals towards people; But large carnivores in inaccessible areas are generally less afraid of people. For example, lions on some uninhabited grasslands in Africa are not very afraid of people. Tigers generally do not eat people, and even dare not have close contact with people, and tigers who have never eaten people will never take the initiative to attack people unless they have to.

But if a tiger takes the risk of eating a person because of extreme hunger, it suddenly realizes that people are just like this, and they are not so scary, then the tiger may take the initiative to attack people in the future. This statement has been proven by countless facts, so the fear of large carnivores towards people is both an innate fear caused by strangeness, strange human shape, and a high enough human height, as well as an element of fear reinforced by human hunting.

Everyone knows that animals are afraid of people, and given that we don't know exactly how animals perceive humans, it's confusing to analyze why they sometimes fear people they've never met.

Because their ancestors have experienced the devastation of humans in every era. It's not a craft or a furnishing. It's either belly food or backpack food. World War period. What army doesn't shoot at the sight of them.

First of all, it's a mistake to ask a question. Not all animals are afraid of people. The vast majority of animals are afraid of humans because their ancestors were driven away by humans, preyed on, and the fear of humans is written in their genes.

On some islands that were only set foot by humans very late, the animals on the islands are not afraid of humans because they have not seen humans before, they are not aware of the threat of humans, and they do not undergo genetic changes for a short time.

Now you go and look at the owl's face, what does it feel like psychologically. Then the animal feels this way when it sees a human face.

Because in the eyes of animals, humans are a potential threat.

Living beings all have a fear of the unknown.

1. Three manifestations of fear.

Fear usually manifests itself in three ways, and these three are often combined:

1. Physical fear: such as rapid heartbeat, dilated pupils, muscle tension, hair erection (just like cats stand up in order to intimidate each other and protect themselves when they are afraid) and so on. All of these expressive activities demonstrate that the body is actively preparing for action and is an early warning mechanism for coping with fear;

2. Psychological fear: Our attention is focused on the danger that may occur, we see it, and magnify it (this is the magnifying glass of fear). All of this is useful when there is real danger, but it becomes very disturbing if it is just a false warning.

As the Russian saying goes: "Fear has big eyes";

3. Behavioral fear: When animals (including humans) feel fear, they will respond according to their own characteristics and abilities, according to the Anglo-Saxon "3F" principle, namely: fihgt (fight, flignt) or freeze (stand still).

2. The escalation of fear - terror.

Sometimes, what we feel is no longer just "normal" fear, but a real horror. When terror comes, fear will:

Very intense; uncontrollable; Prompting people to flee.

3. A variety of different fear symptoms.

When physical fear is transformed into psychological fear, and after psychological reinforcement, a fixed fear symptom will be formed, that is, a psychological fear of specific things and specific occasions.

In general, terror can be divided into the following three forms.

1. The horror of special things.

2. The horror of social interaction.

3. Square Terror.

In general, a phobia is an intense psychological experience, a series of physical and mental changes caused by psychological effects, and to some extent, it is an instinct of human psychological strain. Therefore, by learning to understand the causes and manifestations of fear, we can ultimately overcome fear through physical or psychological means.