This always makes me think. Cockroaches don’t bite, are not venomous, basically can’t do us any harm. I’m not afraid of wild dogs, spiders, tarantulas, scorpions, snakes, wolves, hyenas, wild hogs, bears (encountered them all) but I might actually scream if I get surprised by a cockroach.

I think this collective fear of cockroaches that we have cannot be without reason and must have an evolutionary reason.

  • BananaTrifleViolin@piefed.worldEnglish
    16·
    2 days ago

    Some excellent answers here.

    I would add that it’s not always fear necessarily but also disgust. Cockroaches are associated with filth, so the presence of a cockroach makes people feel disgusted and uncomfortable. For me, if I see a cockroach it means the place I am in is dirty and unhygienic, and that is enough to cause revulsion.

    A lot of the examples you give bar spiders are not things you’d find in your own home. Cockroaches are usually something you’d find in a dwelling where you’d naturally feel safe and separated from nature. Seeing a cockroach in your home or a place you’re staying / eating is different because it’s an invasion of your space, and by a creature we associate with filth.