Why is the Dark scary?

[Thomas Novosel]

Why is the dark scary?

Is it the absence of objects? the inability to grasp the idea of there being no space at all?

what do you guys think?

[Charles Darnay]

For the same reason the dark is not scary to a blind person. We are all, to an extent, empiricists, and rely primary on our vision (if you have it) to inform us about the world.

[Thomas Novosel]

then i wonder... would a blind person be scared of the absence of smell or noise?

[Charles Darnay]

Quite possibly. Actually, its the plethora of noise that is the real problem. Trying blasting music (with a lot of bass helps), closing your eyes (or blindfolding yourself), and navigate around a space with obstacles - it is extremely disorienting. The sound actually distorts your ability to "feel" (without using your hands) when there is a surface in front of you.

[cacian]

I would not say the dark is scary but more of what makes the person scared of it.
I think a lot of fears humans harbour is because of past experiences and insecurities within themselves that makes something like dark scary to them.
It is not the darkness itself but more of the lack of seeing and the stilness of it that suggests that they are threatened because they feel that they are on their own or vulnerable.
There is an eeriness about darkness because lots of literature and stories take place after dark when the supposidely the baddies come out to play.
Culturally we tend to associate gruesome and horrid with darkness because of literature and children's tales for example.
Our whole society and culture is build around gruesome happening after dark.

[Thomas Novosel]

Reply to Charles Durnay:
I just tried the blindfold thing with two garbage cans and a spinny chair set up, I grabbed my ipod started blaring music and tied a blindfold around my head... It felt difficult to stand, and the room seriously felt completely crowded and actually kinda made my breathing heavier.

Reply to cacian:
I never thought of how society portrays darkness i always thought of the lack of objects or shading would be what made it scary. But i never thought of what instilled the original fear (the seed of the fear) i always was more interested in finding out what a person felt when scared of the dark. Very Good Indeed!

[Paulclem]

Because it reflects the darkness within our own minds...

I jest...

[metal134]

I think it's largely a survival trait leftover from when predators were a concern. Obviously, a nocturnal predator has the advantage when it's dark and a non-nocturnal animal can't see as well.

[Smoogles]

I believe it is the unknown we fear. We don't know what's there and it's uncomfortable. Why do you think you're not so scared with a night-light or when the lights are on? Same thing with swimming in the ocean at night, scary stuff.

[Delta40]

Statistically, home invasions and break ins happen at night too....

[Buh4Bee]

Funny, my son was just scared of the dark. We were playing catch and the ball rolled into the dark part of the room. He only would get the ball after I turned on the light. He was scared, simply because he couldn't see. Anything could be there from a cliff to a predator ready to jump out at him. He felt vulnerable, because he couldn't anticipate his surrounding.

[Thomas Novosel]

Yes, so the fear of not knowing what you usually know, through vision, is interpretted iin the mind and the darkness becomes what you fear.

[Dark Muse]

It is not the dark that is scary, but the flesh eating creatures that live in the dark that are scary

I think the reason why many people might find the dark scary is because it takes the familiar and makes it unfamiliar, thus we are automatically removed from our comfort zones, even when within a place which we would regard as safe under normal conditions. Also most humans predominately rely upon sight, and thus the darkness inspires this sense which puts them in a position of vulnerability.

Anything could potentially be hiding somewhere in the dark. You are no longer certain of your surroundings, you feel like you have less control and it can be disorienting. Your mind, and eyes begin to play tricks upon you and can make you see things which are not really there.

[cafolini]

Why is the dark scary?

Is it the absence of objects? the inability to grasp the idea of there being no space at all?

what do you guys think?

I think it's what's hidden. But, on the other hand, many are scared of what shows up. Existential interpretations.

[Darcy88]

Because animals come out to hunt at dusk and because we humans can't see **** in the dark.

Next I'll settle once and for all the body/soul dichotomy and the matter of free will.