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.
You seem to be mixing the concept of being startled and being afraid. Most people can be startled if something moves unexpected across the floor but that is not fear.
Would you refuse to go in the kitchen if a cockroach has been spotted in there? That is fear.
I would not go (or would definitely hesitate to go) into a room where any of wild dogs, snakes, wolves, hyenas, wild hogs, or bears were loose but a few cockroaches wouldn’t stop me.
Nah I definitely have problems going into a room that has cockroaches in it. Also all other things. I won’t lose my shit if I encounter them outdoors tho. Neither a cockroach. Seeing a cockroach outdoors is pretty meh, you just get a feeling in your gut and goosebumps.
I think you’re assuming that everyone has the same reactions as you do, but that’s not true at all. I’ve never lived in a place with a heavy cockroach infestation but I’ve seen a few and they don’t have that effect on me at all. I logically know they’re a pest and gross, but I don’t have any physical or emotional reaction to them at all. I feel like your fear is a learned response.
If I was at a friend’s place and a dozen wild hogs scurried away when I turned on the bathroom light, I would be startled.
And confused, I fear.