Why Are Things That Crawl "Creepier" Than Things That Fly ?

Picture yourself sitting comfortably in a chair outside on a porch.  You've got a good book and a cool beverage.  Life is good.  And then something happens ... Out of the corner of your eye you see an ant crawling toward and into your shoe.  What do you do?

Now imagine you're laying in bed, almost asleep.  The moonlight is shining through the window providing a peaceful glow in your room.  And then you see it ... The thin line of cobweb is unmistakeable and the shadowy figure of a spider comes into focus just inches from your face.  How do you react?

One more example, you're moving things around in your yard, just getting some weeds cleared and trimming trees and bushes.  You're feeling good because your yard is looking better when all of a sudden you hear a rustling in the debris.
In a flash something alive appears and scurries across the yard along the fence line.  It is a field mouse and he is hauling home as fast as he can.  What are you thinking now?

If you're like me, in each of these scenarios you have a very strong and quick reaction.  Yuck!  Gross!  Get it away from me!  Aw man!  You might throw something at the unwanted guest(s).  You might strike to kill them.  You almost certainly don't just ignore their presence or wave it off with no fear or angst.

But change the creature in each scenario and your reaction is probably much less instant and angry.  What if it was a mosquito flying near your shoe?  What if it was a housefly aimlessly airborne near you as you lay in bed?  What if a small bird flew out of the pile of debris instead?  Is your reaction the same?
Mine certainly wouldn't be.

For some reason things that fly do not make me as nervous as things that crawl.  And I have no idea why!  It is illogical.  Things that can fly could "get me" from anywhere, while things that crawl would have to work very hard to "get me."  This reasoning would suggest that flying things would be scarier, but they just aren't.  They might be annoying pests, but they don't make me jump in fear.

Am I the only one?!

Song Of The Day:
It's been too long since I featured an OMD song, so today's selection is
"The Place You Fear The Most" which has an eerie ghost sound as part of it's main hook.  I definitely fear mice, spiders, and even a group of ants (if they are in my house or on my body) more than flying things.

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