Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay

Does being in the dark ever send a shiver up your spine? Have you ever hurried down a hallway after turning out the light? You may get spooked by suspicious shadows in a dark room only to turn on the light and realize it is just an innocent chair. Then, you might wonder if there are really ghouls lurking in the dark or if it’s simply a trick of your brain. 1

The word Nyctophobia is derived from Greek ‘Nyctus ‘meaning night or darkness and Phobos which means deep fear or dread. Experts believe that Nyctophobia generally originates from a traumatic experience in the past. Movie, TV shows and literature depicting horror, blood, gore, ghosts and other paranormal activities that normally take place in absence of daylight are also often responsible for creating a deeply rooted fear of darkness. 2

Anyone of any age can suffer from a fear of the dark.

Psychological symptoms of the fear of darkness include:

• Thoughts of death, dying-often associated with Thanatophobia
• Fear of being attacked by ‘boogeymen’, ghosts, and monsters; Checking and rechecking under the bed or in closets
• Refusing to sleep alone or refusing to step out of the house after sunset. Trying to stay up all night, waking up several times.
• Feeling dread, feeling like running away at the thought of facing darkness. 3

Human beings are not nocturnal by nature and evolutionary process shows a belief that predators are mostr likely housed in the darkness became prevalent. "Sight is our strongest sense and some of our natural predators, such as the big cats, had better night vision than our ancestors did. Our ancestors also had to watch out for enemy raids; even today, we may justifiably fear being burgled." 4

Nyctophobia is triggered by the brain's disfigured perception of what would, or could, happen when in a night-time environment. It can also be temporarily triggered if the mind is unsteady or scared about recent events or ideas, or a partaking in content the brain considers a threat (examples could include indulging in horror content, witnessing vulgar actions, or having linked dark environments to prior events or ideas that disturb the mind). Normally, since humans are not nocturnal by nature, they are usually a bit more cautious or alert at night than in the day, since the dark is a vastly different environment. Nyctophobia produces symptoms beyond the normal instinctive parameters, such as breathlessness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly or sensation of detachment from reality and death. Nyctophobia can be severely detrimental physically and mentally if these symptoms are not resolved. There are many types of therapies to help manage Nyctophobia.

Nyctophobia may also be tied to nocturnal creatures, whether fictional or real. For instance someone who experiences Sanguivoriphobia, a fear of vampires, might also experience Nyctophobia due to an association with vampires. Or someone with Chiroptophobia, or fear of bats, might also likewise have Nyctophobia due to their association with the night or dark spaces.5

"With evolution and development in living conditions, we should have been able to outgrow that fear,  right? Maybe. The psychology of our fear of darkness is not necessarily of the predators. Darkness means the inability to see what’s happening in our surroundings and that makes us more nervous.

The unpreparedness caused by darkness makes us anxious and this anxiety hinders our ability to act logically. For example, the creaking of our doors or windows are often ignored during the day but during the night, the same sound drives us crazy. This is because of the anxiety that kicks in due to fear.

In addition, to our primitive fear of darkness the feedback we receive from our society also makes  us more frightened. Most of the crimes in the modern world are committed after sunset. As we hear/study about the crimes and acts of violence happening at night our minds become more scared of the dark. This is the reason still most of us are a bit afraid of the dark." 6 - Vamshi Krishna

Are there monsters in the dark? Maybe. If there are, know they are attracted to but fear the light. So keep your inner light bright.

1- https://ispyphysiology.com/2021/10/28/why-are-we-afraid-of-shadows-in-the-night-because-of-our-brains/

2,3 - https://www.fearof.net/fear-of-darkness-phobia-nyctophobia/

4- https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/what-makes-people-afraid-of-the-dark/

5 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_the_dark

6 - https://yourdost.com/blog/2016/03/the-psychology-of-fear-of-the-dark.html?q=/blog/2016/03/the-psychology-of-fear-of-the-dark.html&