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Galeophobia is the medical term for a fear of
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
s. The name galeophobia derives from the
Greek language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...
with ''galeos'' meaning shark and ''
phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected ...
'' meaning fear. This phobia is diagnosed using
DSM-5 The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition'' (DSM-5), is the 2013 update to the '' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiat ...
criteria and is characterized by a patient showing marked fear or anxiety about sharks that leads to severe impairment of their quality of life. Although it is not known exactly how many people have been diagnosed with galeophobia, a study conducted in 2015 revealed that just over half (51%) of Americans are absolutely terrified of sharks.


Causes

The fear of sharks, while perpetrated by the media in recent decades, has been around for all of humanity. Galeophobia is a primal instinct. The fear of sharks stems from humans' attempt to avoid sharks, which was essential to our survival as a species over hundreds of thousands of years. The physical aspects of sharks, particularly the
great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocea ...
, have been noted as strong reasons why people fear these animals. Individuals with galeophobia typically see sharks as a threat to their life. The rows of sharp teeth and huge jaws have been reported as "diabolical", "gruesome", and "terrifying" by those who suffer from the phobia. Another aspect of the fear stems from territorial "violations" by sharks. Sharks are said to encroach and intrude on areas where humans visit, including beaches and fishing waters. Despite the statistically low risk of shark attacks, the possibility of human-shark interactions contributes to galeophobia. In 2018,
PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...
released a study that revealed humans killed approximately 100 million sharks worldwide during 2018, whereas sharks killed a total of just five humans in that same period. While the phobia may not be statistically rational, humans are wired to fear any animal that poses a threat, setting off a fight or flight reaction.


Symptoms and treatment

Galeophobia is characterized by an overwhelming and persistent fear of sharks. Those experiencing this condition may lack the ability to rationally perceive the danger sharks pose to them, leading them to participate in behaviors to avoid these animals. This phobia typically results in symptoms including a rapid heart rate,
shortness of breath Shortness of breath (SOB), known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that con ...
, shaking,
hyperventilation Hyperventilation is irregular breathing that occurs when the rate or tidal volume of breathing eliminates more carbon dioxide than the body can produce. This leads to hypocapnia, a reduced concentration of carbon dioxide dissolved in the blo ...
,
nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...
, and dizziness. Feelings of intense
anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...
and a loss of control,
insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...
, and nightmares may also occur. The thought of a shark, viewing a photo or video of a shark, or seeing a shark in real life may trigger these symptoms. The symptoms of this phobia can become extreme, leading to fear and panic at the sight of a body of water. These symptoms must exist for at least six months to achieve a clinical diagnosis. There are many methods available for treating galeophobia, several of which involve the help of a mental health professional. These treatment options include exposure and response therapy,
cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and chang ...
(CBT),
hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy, also known as hypnotic medicine, is the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy. Hypnotherapy is generally not considered to be based on scientific evidence, and is rarely recommended in clinical practice guidelines. However, several p ...
, and medication in conjunction with other therapies. Of these options, exposure and response therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are recommended. Exposure and response therapy will slowly expose patients to fear stimulus in order to extinguish avoidant behaviors and fear toward sharks. Cognitive behavioral therapy will focus on reducing the reaction to one's phobia by altering one's thoughts toward sharks.


Human-shark interactions

Popular media has historically portrayed sharks as a significant threat to humans, but many
marine biologists Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology clas ...
and
animal rights activists Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a ho ...
argue that sharks are misunderstood as a species. Occasionally referred to as "
living fossil A living fossil is a Deprecation, deprecated term for an extant taxon that phenotypically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of or ...
s", there is fossil evidence for the existence of sharks that dates back to 450 million years ago, during the Late
Ordovician Period The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period Ma (mill ...
. Throughout their evolution, sharks have undergone periods of diversification and there are now more than 500 species of sharks in the ocean. Sharks' diets vary depending on the size and habitat of the particular species. The most common prey across shark species are
fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
, but larger sharks are known to also prey on semi-aquatic marine animals, such as
seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...
and
sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...
s. Despite their reputation as a "man-eating" species, scientific literature suggests that humans are not typical prey for sharks. Research on the behavior of sharks during interactions with humans suggests that most shark attacks, even those that are fatal, stem from the shark's curiosity or confusion. Sharks may bite
surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...
or
swimmers Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
in an attempt to identify a foreign object in their environment. Humans pose a comparatively greater risk to sharks than sharks do to humans. One attempt to mitigate the risk of shark attacks is
shark culling Shark culling is the deliberate killing of sharks by government authorities, usually in response to one or more shark attacks. The term "shark control" is often used by governments when referring to culls. Shark culling has been criticized by envi ...
: the government-enforced hunting and killing of sharks. The negative reputation of sharks may contribute to the appeal of shark culling. Marine conservationists argue that shark culling is a misinformed and ineffective mitigation technique. Presently, there is no evidence to suggest that the practice of shark culling reduces the rates of shark attacks.


Galeophobia in popular culture

Popular culture also advances galeophobia and influences people's attitudes by exaggerating the dangers sharks pose. Sharks are a frequent subject of popular press coverage, but are rarely covered in a positive light. A 2012
Conservation Biology
' article looked at hundreds of examples of sharks being written about in major U.S. or Australian newspapers. The authors found that more than half of all articles about sharks in major papers from 2000 to 2010 were about a shark bite; only 11% even mentioned shark conservation. According to psychologist Gabriella Hancock, who is working with the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, people aren't born being afraid of sharks. "We're not innately afraid of sharks ... Five-month-old babies were not afraid of sharks. So it appears as though our fear of them is learned and socially reinforced." Moreover, for most of history, sharks were generally considered harmless and the "average bather knew or cared little about sharks". However, this started to change starting in the 1960s and 1970s.


''Jaws''

Movies like '' Jaws'', which was released in 1975, popularized the idea of sharks as man-eating predators and fueled the fear of sharks. The movie was a box office success and became a cultural phenomenon, spawning three sequels and helping cement the image of the killer shark in popular culture. Upon its release, the "movie "generated an unprecedented audience response of excitement and terror." Scientists have referred to the irrational fear that sharks intentionally attack humans as the "Jaws effect". The film's portrayal of sharks as relentless, predatory creatures that attack humans without provocation is one of the main reasons why ''Jaws'' is often cited as a key factor in advancing galeophobia. According to phobia specialist Christopher Paul Jones, individuals he has encountered with galeophobia, often cite films like '' Jaws'' as the basis of their fear, since most people have not seen a shark in the wild.
Peter Benchley Peter Bradford Benchley (May 8, 1940 – February 11, 2006) was an American author. He is best known for his bestselling novel '' Jaws'' and co-wrote its movie adaptation with Carl Gottlieb. Several more of his works were also adapted for both ...
, the author of the 1974 book publicly apologized for the impact his book and movie have had on the shark population—due in part by increasing the fear of sharks. In addition,
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
, the director of the 1975 film ''Jaws'' said he "truly regrets" how the bloodthirsty portrayal of great white sharks in his 1975 film ''Jaws'' contributed to a sharp decline in the animals' population.


Shark Week

TV shows have also contributed to the fear of sharks. Reality shows such as
Shark Week Shark Week is an annual week-long programming block on the Discovery Channel focusing on shark-themed programming. It originally premiered on July 17, 1988. The block is featured annually in the summer, and was originally devoted to conservati ...
, which airs on the
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
, have been popular since its inception in 1988, and have played a role in advancing galeophobia. The show features segments on shark attacks, shark behavior, and conservation efforts, often with sensationalist titles and imagery. Harry Baker of ''Marine Madness'' says, dozens of questionable documentaries and long-running TV campaigns, like Shark Week, "have prioritized maximum entertainment value and stoking fear at the expense of including scientific data and highlighting important conservation issues". News coverage of shark attacks also contributes to galeophobia. Whenever a shark attack occurs, it is often covered by local and national news outlets, leading to increased fear and anxiety among swimmers and beachgoers. While
shark attack A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year, around 80 unprovoked attacks are reported worldwide. Despite their rarity, many people fear shark attacks after occasional serial attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of ...
s are statistically rare, the media coverage of these events amplifies their impact, making them seem more frequent than they actually are and enhancing perceived risk from sharks and increase anxiety about sharks among the public.


See also

* Fear of fish


References

{{Shark nav Zoophobias