Feralbreed said:
Are you clear that something is out there? Hiding and waiting, or is it just scary because we watch too many horror movies?
It is fascinating especially in modern times where we don't have to fear any predatory animals jumping out to kill us. Still, we stay close to our technological fires...our lights, where we feel safe.
Please tell me.
If one feels "safe" depends on how one estimates one's own strength (not necessarily a physical thing - more like "confidence"), and how one judges the environment (is it hostile? If yes, how strong is it? (this too isn't necessarily a pure physical thing)).
This *comparision* doesn't neccessarily need to be about the fear of "attack". For example, the environment could harm us simply by us stumbling and falling down.
Both aspects (self-trust and other-trust) don't necessarily have to only depend on actual info. Someone for example could generally have a bias towards paranoia or towards trust (both regarding self as well as regarding the environment).
In darkness, there is no to little information about the environment. This lack of information alone does already make the environment less trustworthy, simply because: If you can see, you can know that there's no harm. If you cannot see, there COULD be harm, no matter how unprobable.
In addition to this shift, there's the issue that when there's a lack of information, one tries to imagine what's out there anyways - which projects a "suspected environment" in place of the darkness. If the situation and your general bias tends towards mistrust of yourself or the environment, you'll imagine what could go wrong - else what could go right. But even though you now projected your assumptions into the darkness, you still don't KNOW - and thus continue thinking about it. This can escalate your assumptions about whats out there.
So, to summarize: Darkness results in an information blackout of the environment. Depending on your situational and imagined selfconfidence and trust in the environment, you start trying to imagine whats out there - but since your assumptions are never confirmed, you continue thinking about whats out there all the time.
As for me: Overally, i tend to actually like darkness - but more as a kind of "sensory quietness". I even use a dark desktop colorscheme exactly because i prefer using my pc with dimmed environment lighting. It however also depends on the situation - if for example i'd be out there somewhere, and need to move without knowing where there are obstacles, holes, etc... i'd feel uncomfortable too.
Note that in my explanation i never ever mentioned terms like evolution or insticts, because they're completely unnecessary for the above explained behaviour.
P.S.: David_G points out another aspect which i forgot to mention (though, i do not accept his implied dichotomy). Another aspect what makes people feel uncomfortable in darkness, is the same reason why people feel uncomfortable in quietness - the lack of things that distract them from themselves.
