Slippery CUSTOMERS

Ophidophobia, or fear of snakes, is said to affect a third of adult humans, making this the most common phobia of all. But in the UK, of our three snake species, only one – the adder – is poisonous. So why are we so scared of snakes?

A 2001 study conducted by Swedish scientists discovered that humans may have an innate negative reaction to snakes. This could be part of our species’ evolutionary survival strategy, because we instantaneously identify them as dangerous. However, we’ve also been drip-fed the idea that snakes are evil since our childhoods, particularly growing up within a Christian society