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What is it that makes some people afraid of the dark?

Our brains use information derived from all of our senses to provide us with an awareness of what is going on around us. When one or more of those senses can not be utilised, such as not being able to see in the dark, then our brain tries to fill in the gaps by taking information from those senses that are left and making a best guess based upon a combination of memory and imagination. Our sight is the most important sense of all and the most dabilitating when it is denied to us.

So...you're standing in a room and you hear a shuffling noise and high pitched squeak. Your brain tells your eyes to look for the source of the sound, your eyes send the image to your brain, your brain recognises that the source of the sound is your cat and instructs your feet to turn left to avoid walking on the cat.

Now...you're standing in a room in the dark and you hear a shuffling noise and a high pitched squeak. Your brain tells your eyes to look for the source of the sound, but its dark and you can't see anything. Your brain then tries to interpret what information it already has from other senses and concludes that the source of the noise is either a) your cat or b) some kind of dangerous hairy rodent that could attack you at any moment. You're heart stats to thump and adrenalin starts to pump around your body at the prospect of a rat running up your trouser leg, and while your panicking you stand on the cat.

One of the primary problems with darkness is that sight is our primary connection with reality. The darkness means that you can't perceive your surroundings and you become somewhat detached from reality, causing your brain to imagine all sorts of terrible things. The way to combat the subsequent fear is to retain that connection with reality, even if its pitch black and you can't see anything. One of the most effective ways is to keep a radio on in your room. Talk radio is best, as the sound of a familiar presenters voice helps to keep that connection with with the real world and stops your imagination conjuring up dangers that aren't really there. Keep the volume low enough so that you can just hear what is being said, but that it wont keep you awake when you want to sleep. You'll be surprised how quickly you become used to it.

Learn more about this author, Robert Stephenson.
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