Humanities desk
< June 5	<< May \| June \| Jul >>	June 7 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

June 6

Why are we scared of skeletons?

Why are we scared of skeletons? I know I was pretty much terrified of them when I was a small child. But why? The average human in these days is very unlikely to ever have seen an actual skeleton. How do we even know what skeletons are and what they look like, in order to be scared of them? And furthermore, what do we think skeletons are going to do to us?

Is this some thing that is pre-programmed in our brain so because of millions of years of evolution, we have learned to be scared of things we have never even actually seen? JIP | Talk 21:48, 6 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Skeletons of one kind or another have been seen by nearly everyone. They mean death and are often used to symbolize death. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:07, 6 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Skeleton (undead) may have some insights Fir you. Cullen328 (talk) 22:14, 6 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Here is a relevant article. Cullen328 (talk) 22:19, 6 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Also revenant. Alansplodge (talk) 12:40, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I take issue with "The average human in these days is very unlikely to ever have seen an actual skeleton." Here in Australia the Science departments of most high schools and probably all universities have skeletons, real ones of animals and good plastic replicas for humans. As a Science teacher it's a great stimulus to have in a classroom. Generates lots of great discussions. I have seen no fear. Is that a cultural thing? HiLo48 (talk) 02:01, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

It might be cultural conditioning. Certainly I was somewhat frightened of skeletons as a pre-school child (ca. 1960), long before I'd seen one in a teaching situation. By adulthood I'd lost any fear (though if I met one walking down the street I'd probably feel a frisson) and am fascinated by paleoanthropology. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.221.195.5 (talk) 03:47, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

If a skeleton is just lying there, it's a lot less scary than if it's up and walking around. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:22, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Although I don't think anyone's afraid of Jack Skellington. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:23, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Or Red Skelton? 136.54.99.98 (talk) 16:27, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

another answer would be that it shocks us out of the comfortable delusion the human mind has to tell itself to not go insane: i am immortal.

It's the common movie trope that people would behave differently if they knew when they were going to die, be it days, months, years or decades.... But you were always going to die in days, months, years or decades.

conclussion: humans delude themselves about the permenance of their own existence and disruptions to this are frightening and aggrevating.

(i am able to write this post through dissociating from the subject.) Bart Terpstra (talk) 20:10, 13 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I mean, the first time a person sees a picture of a skeleton, they are scared because the skeleton represents death. How does the person know the skeleton represents death? Even without having explicitly learned it from anywhere? If the person sees a picture of a skeleton at a young enough age, how do they even recognise it as a skeleton? Is it some pre-programmed response that has evolved into our brains? JIP | Talk 20:33, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

- Most pictures are put in perspective and composed and the intent of their author is bound to pass through to you; besides otherwise you might just not remember that picture at all. Besides I think Baseball Bugs is right, beside the most frightening spot which I have in mind in my early memories of scary places - and the lights were low - I figure a fully detailed skeleton, standing, possibly lightly glowing, and it my mind I could swear it was just some foreign unknown thing - much less remarkable than the angle were things could have been starting crawling out from... --Askedonty (talk) 21:41, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

How do you know your personal experience is the norm? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:50, 7 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Mediocrity principle? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.221.195.5 (talk) 03:26, 8 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]