Is Nyctophobia an Evolutionary Form of Protection?

What causes us to fear the darkness? Is it just a childhood fear of the unknown? Or is it an irrational fear in adulthood?

For adult nyctophobes who get a hard time from their friends and family, there’s some good news. Researchers at Monash University and Australian Catholic University have found physiological reasons behind our fear of the dark. They conducted an experiment to find how light effects the fear and emotional processing center of the brain known as the amygdala.

Monash University Research fellow in psychology, Dr. Elise McGlashan joins Marlene Even to discuss further on the connection between the dark and how our brain registers fear and emotions.