The searchscape of fear: A global analysis of internet search trends for biophobias

Abstract

Human relationships with nature may sometimes manifest through fear, disgust and other disease‐avoidance mechanisms. While there is an evolutionary utility to these so‐called ‘biophobias’, many people exhibit phobic responses towards organisms that pose no tangible threats, potentially leading to excessive anxiety and avoidance of interactions with nature. Understanding the drivers of the prevalence and spread of biophobias in modern societies is, therefore, a growing concern. Here, we posit that online information‐seeking patterns may reveal general insights into biophobias. Using a culturomics approach, we gathered temporal (2004–2022) and country‐level data on the volume of internet searches for 25 biophobias, as well as 25 general phobias acting as a benchmark group. We explored temporal trends in the volume of search for each biophobias and modelled relationships between search volume for biophobias and five country‐level variables. We observed a steady increase in online search volume for biophobias between 2004 and 2022. Yet, there were marked differences in individual trends, with 17 biophobias showing positive, three negative and five stationary temporal trends. Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) attracted the most interest, followed by mysophobia (fear of microbes) and parasitophobia (fear of parasites). The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico and India recorded wide interest in most biophobias, whereas 49% of countries showed no search volume for any biophobia. Search patterns for biophobias were strongly associated with the percentage of urban population, urban population growth and the number of extant venomous species in a given country. Conversely, search patterns for biophobias were weakly correlated with the incidence of anxiety disorders in a country's population and the likelihood of encounters with venomous animals. Our results provide quantitative support to the hypothesis that biophobias are broadly prevalent and possibly increasing as a result of widespread urbanisation and loss of experiences with nature. We suggest that people affected by biophobic disorders may be using the Internet as a key venue to seek relevant information to appraise their condition and identify coping mechanisms. These findings have broad ramifications for understanding and mitigating human–wildlife conflicts and the prevalence of widespread biophobic sentiments in modern societies.

Biophobia: What it is, how it works and why it matters

“…Before discussing the details of the included studies, we provide a brief overview of the overall contents of the special issue. As listed in Table 1, our special feature comprises seven papers: six empirical studies (Catapani et al, 2024;Correia & Mammola, 2024;Gish et al, 2024;Prokop et al, 2024;Puri et al, 2024;Zsidó et al, 2024) and one review article (Norberg et al, 2024). These studies explore diverse aspects of biophobia, which can be broadly categorised into four major themes: (1) exploring factors contributing to the development of biophobia (Drivers), (2) examining consequences for humans (e.g.…”

“…Similarly, Zsidó et al (2024) explore the behavioural patterns of individuals with biophobia using a cognitive science approach. Additionally, Correia and Mammola (2024) investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of biophobia and their drivers from a culturomics perspective. The other four studies take a more nature-oriented perspective.…”

“…This limited understanding of biophobia is a cause for we will briefly explore what biophobia entails, how it operates, and why it is important in the context of the relationship between humans and nature. We will also highlight the findings of each of the included papers (Catapani et al, 2024;Correia & Mammola, 2024;Gish et al, 2024;Norberg et al, 2024;Prokop et al, 2024;Puri et al, 2024;Zsidó et al, 2024) in the most relevant sections.…”

Drivers of species knowledge across the tree of life

“…Human relationships with biodiversity trace back to our dawn as a species ( Wilson, 1993 ). Wildlife permeates art, myths, and traditions; it constitutes an irreplaceable source of food and goods; and, even in the digital age, it remains one of the most powerful triggers of human emotions ( Correia and Mammola, 2023 ; Hicks and Stewart, 2018 ; Jacobs, 2012 ; Soga and Gaston, 2016 ). Furthermore, the birth of modern science has turned biodiversity into a subject of intense investigation.…”

Drivers of species knowledge across the Tree of Life

“…Human relationships with biodiversity trace back to our dawn as a species (Wilson, 1993). Wildlife permeates art, myths, and traditions; it constitutes an irreplaceable source of food and goods; and, even in the digital age, it remains one of the most powerful triggers of human emotions (Correia and Mammola, 2023;Hicks and Stewart, 2018;Jacobs, 2012;Soga and Gaston, 2016). Furthermore, the birth of modern science has turned biodiversity into a subject of intense investigation.…”