Many people are afraid of bats. In fact, one of our greatest superheros was born out of the fear of bats.
I get it. They are blood-sucking, rabies-infested, flying rat-looking things. They are creepy and only come out at night. They are like muggers with wings.
For those of you who suffer from chiroptophobia, or fear of bats, I have the perfect cure. Just watch this video.
Awwww. Did you see that cute little guy chomping on that banana? Adorable, right?
Starting to see bats in a different light? Maybe a little.
Before this post becomes a PSA for bat awareness (that is reserved for National Bat Appreciation Day on April 17th), I will get to my point.
When we think of bats as blood suckers, we are scared. But when we see them wrapped in a blanky, scarfing down a banana, we are not scared.
I haven’t tested this theory, but I wonder if this same approach can be applied to other fears.
Scared of asking a girl out on a date? Picture her in a blanket eating a banana. Scared of public speaking? Picture your audience in a blanket eating a banana. Scared of bananas? I can’t do anything to help you there. (Side note, apparently bananaphobia is a real thing. Not sure why though, bananas are so a-peeling).
Okay, so maybe my new strategy isn’t based on anything scientific, but the premise has to be at least a little bit true. We get overwhelmed by our fears because we make them out to be horrific. We picture the worst case scenario.
– Bats are going to fly into our hair and eat our brains.
– Asking a girl out will not only lead to rejection, but word will get out in the single girls network and we will be branded as a loser.
– Public speaking will result in a room full of people laughing at us.
No wonder we are so afraid of those things.
Remember how we felt when we watched the above video. For just a few seconds, bats didn’t seem so bad. When we look at fears as something less horrific, like in a cuddly blanky eating a banana, the impending doom doesn’t seem as, well, doom-y.
