Spiders are some of the most common animals we encounter daily, yet are our greatest source of fear

Fear of spiders is widespread, but just why are we so terrified of our eight-legged friends?

- JAMES O'HANLON

THERE'S A LARGE SPIDER IN THE cupboard. What do you do? Do you panic and flee the scene? Or do you stride forward confidently, cup and paper in hand, ready to save the day?

Do you bask in the adoration of your onlooking family as you deftly lift the delicate creature high, and stare entranced at the glossy black eyes and glistening fangs on the other side of a thin sheet of glass, before depositing it safely outside? Or do you just close the cupboard door and decide not to worry about it?

This everyday situation, and the choices we make in response, say a lot more about human nature than we might first think. Spiders hold a special place in our lives. They are some of the most common animals we encounter daily. And not just among animals: spiders are our biggest fear of all fears.

In psychological studies of people's fears and phobias, a fear of spiders consistently ranks as the most common - more common than fears of heights, dogs, losing your smartphone or bumping into an ex.

This raises the important question of why. Why, in a world of existential threats, from global pandemics to nuclear warfare, does a group of tiny, eight-legged invertebrates take the top spot?

Two main ideas try to explain our dislike of spiders, and they boil down to a question of nature vs nurture. The 'nature' explanation supposes that our brains are hardwired to fear spiders because of our evolutionary past. In short, our ancient ancestors who feared spiders and avoided them were more likely to survive and pass on their genes to future generations. Those who didn't fear spiders would have more close encounters with them and, as a result, wouldn't survive to pass on their genes.

This idea has an intuitive appeal that seems to make sense. However, probe a little deeper and it starts to fall to pieces.