One of the most common phobias is the fear of mice. It is sometimes referred to as musophobia. We often hear people comment on elephants being afraid of mice. If creatures as big as elephants are afraid of mice, why is it so humiliating that I am.
Since a kid when mice were more rampant, and my father trapped them like some big game hunter, he would caution me to never mention to my mother as she was squeamish about the thought of them. That triggered something in my mind – to be squeamish, not brave. There have been numerous incidents ever since. I have been so taken by surprise that I have screamed in shock.
One such case was the cafeteria of St, Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. I spotted one of the culprits along the back wall and couldn’t hold back. I screamed, jumped up ready to take off. Then I noticed that nearly everyone in there was a panic as well and were until my sheepish grin revealed the source of alarm. Another time one evening in the rec room of our Wasaga Beach house, one appeared. I leaped onto the chair I was sitting on and with a trembling voice yelled for my wife to come to the rescue. She did but of course was once more fed-up with my phobia.
I was listening to a phone-in radio show one evening on a Toronto station. One caller, describing himself as being a big guy and active in sports, wanted to understand why he was afraid of mice. I immediately bonded with what he was asking. I promised myself I would get over my obsession but it ended one day when I noticed a dead mouse on my lawn. I couldn’t move it and I couldn’t stop worrying about. Finally, I talked my neighbour into taking it to my garbage. I’m sure he thought I was little weird especially with the tall tale I made up.
Not that long ago I was in the process of putting my slippers. The second one I couldn’t get on. I turned it over and a plump but dead mouse dropped to the floor. I was a horrified at the spectacle but not as much as if I had tied to pull it out with my fingers.
There is a common belief that elephants are afraid of mice, the only living creatures elephants can’t abide. Many zoos have conditioned elephants not to react to mice. MythBusters arranged research once for multiple elephants avoiding a mouse, showing there is cause for this belief. It is not known why elephants should react in this way Regardless, elephantine musophobia remains the source of various jokes and metaphors.
I really don’t get overwhelmed by the fear of mice that often as I do avoid obvious places they may be. Hypnosis could conquer my phobia – if I thought it worth the bother.
Just why a paralyzing fear of mice is the butt of so many stand-up comic routines, while you never hear anybody making rib-tickling jokes about the (equally common) fear of spiders, is a mystery. What is so funny about it? It can’t be because mice are so small. After all, most spiders are far smaller.
The issue with this phobias is not the size of the creature that triggers the fear reaction. Furthermore, there is no one specific attribute of any creature that can be clearly identified as ‘phobia causing’. However the phobia is ‘caused’ when you have a traumatic experience of some kind.
This is how it works. When something really bad happens to you, your brain goes into panic mode and checks to see what caused the trouble. It will pick on anything at that moment that is a likely suspect. Then that thing gets chemically labeled in your brain as ‘Danger!’.
Thus in the future when that thing is encountered there is an adrenaline rush and your body switches into ‘fight or flight’ mode, as your brain has identified this as a threat which you must be protected against.
Fear can also keep you safe, behaving as an internal danger alarm. It forces you in helping make wise and prudent decisions.
When you step outside your comfort zone, it can be fear that makes you feel alive, which can be fun and exciting.
