Why are we afraid of the dark and why is it good for us? The influence of darkness on humans.

Question to a psychologist

Hello. My name is Andrey, 19 years old, single. My relationship with my parents is the most ordinary - I don’t feel a strong attachment, but I feel respect for them. I can’t say that I have any pronounced psychological problems, but there is something interesting that I would like to clarify about myself. Namely, what could be associated with the refusal to manifest, splash out emotions in life. This does not cause me absolutely any problems: all problems, experiences, everything is successfully utilized within itself. Many people say that it is better to speak out or talk about any problems and experiences, but it seems to me that this is pointless, because essentially it will not change anything. But on the other hand, I really like getting an emotional component from books or films. Moreover, I can’t stand so-called standard happy endings. I like it when a book or film is filled with sadness, melancholy, and a certain atmosphere of hopelessness. I like when main character dies at the end. I may like happy endings, but not out of nowhere, but achieved thanks to many sacrifices, which make it possible to feel the full value of it. It’s not difficult for me to spend a long period of time without communication, alone with myself, but on the other hand, I like visiting the university and communicating with classmates. What could all of the above be connected with? Why exactly this way and not otherwise? Why am I so attracted not so much to negative emotions as to gloomy ones? Although in life I am somewhere between an optimist and a realist.
Thank you in advance.

Hello Andrei!

You are an introvert, i.e. emotions are inside you, where they live, develop and are “utilized.” And because It doesn’t bother you in any way, it’s natural state of nature. Moreover, you easily switch from loneliness to society, which indicates a healthy psyche. It is quite possible that when there is a person nearby with whom you want to share emotions, you will do so.

Next... People receive energy (emotions) not only from communication with people, but also from art, nature, food and other things. Apparently this is also your option. The fact that you like a “bad” ending....well here...depending on what you call BAD. I really like the movie The Time Traveler's Wife. there also seems to be a bad ending, but I regard it as a good one, or let’s say in the movie “50 First Dates”. This is on the one hand. On the other hand, maybe death doesn’t scare you and you view it as “coming home.”

And one more information. Maybe she will somehow help you understand yourself. M.E. Litvak wrote that “according to an emotional diet, a person should have 35% positive emotions, 5% negative, and 60% neutral. That is, runaway milk is not a reason for a negative emotion, but just an urge to take a rag and wipe the stove.” in total, many emotions that are considered negative are perceived by your body as neutral.

Harmony and optimism to you!)))

Trotsenko Natalya Yurievna, psychologist Vladikavkaz

I love the dark. I love it because it allows you to abstract yourself from the hustle and bustle. She leaves you alone with yourself, with your thoughts. Darkness and silence. First half of the night. Calm and quiet, it attracts you. Makes you pay attention to little things.

You pour some cold coffee into your favorite mug and go out to the cozy balcony, listen to the quiet rustling of the rain. Occasionally your attention switches from one object to another. A dog sniffing a backpack forgotten by someone in the middle of the street. A pedestrian walking slowly without an umbrella in this weather. But this is not the faceless pedestrian you meet during the day. He's alone here. That's why you pay attention to him. He has his own story, which is unknown to you, and you are unlikely to see him again. But you're looking. Slim silhouette. Easy leisurely walk. This man is in no hurry. Walking. You notice a barely noticeable smile on his face, but this is the only thing you have time to see, because he hides in the darkness, only occasionally showing himself, walking through the light spots of lanterns. The shapeless gray coat was wet from the rain. “Fool,” you will think, and perhaps you will be right. Well what normal person will he be glad that he is walking in the rain along a not very, but, to be fair, picturesque street? For a moment you are filled with anger. The stranger will slowly disappear from your field of vision, leaving you alone again. Only the quiet rustling of rain.

You peer into the endless black sky. Gradually the outbreak of anger fades away. You wonder what caused this momentary anger in you. It's clearly about this lucky passerby. You light a cigarette, but immediately put it out. You take a sip of coffee. Only this stranger is in my head. Close it tightly balcony door, you leave the almost full mug on the table and quickly walk into the bedroom. Three minutes later you are already dressed and go outside. The umbrella was deliberately left at the door. You inhale full lungs of cool fresh air, mixed with the aroma of flowers blooming in a flower bed. You go wherever your eyes take you. In a few minutes you find yourself on the embankment. Deserted. Quiet. Dark. You close your eyes and throw your head back to the sky. You feel how the wind hugs you, how the rain caresses your hair. Smile. Pure, sincere. My chest is filled with joy. The thought in my head is that something important has happened. But what?
You are enjoying the moment.
And you do it for a long time.
Opposite you stands a pedestrian in a gray, shapeless, wet coat. Her beautiful brown eyes look at you in surprise.

Every rainy summer night throughout her life in this city, she came here to enjoy her solitude. She saw this stranger for the first time. He just stood there with his head thrown back to the sky, and there was a smile on his face. She understood perfectly well how this man felt. She feels it herself. The stranger did not pay attention to her, and perhaps was not aware of her presence. Straightening her long dark hair, she followed his example and turned her gaze to the sky. Slowly she closed her eyes. Rain dripped onto her face. The wind blew her coat. She felt free. But besides this, a strange feeling arose in my chest, which made my smile even wider. “I love the dark,” flashed through her head.

Let's look at 10 of the most incredible human fears.

Aphobophobia- fear of absence of fears. The most interesting phobia, the origin and nature of its manifestation for psychologists still remains a mystery.

Very often, in childhood, children are frightened by certain “babykas”, which usually live in dark corners, closets, and rooms. Unfortunately, parents do not always understand that this can lead to the development nyctophobia- fear of the dark. People who suffer from this fear are panicky afraid of dark and remote places, streets, even rooms in own apartment. A person who does not like the dark experiences trembling, increased heart rate and an attack of panic, which can lead to shock.

Aphenphosmophobia- fear of touch. We experience everything in the world through our tactile senses. Little children tend to put everything in their mouths, so they try to learn new objects, so to speak, try them out.

Claustrophobia- fear of closed and small space. Symptoms of this fear are severe mental stress that occurs in a person who is in a small and closed room, a feeling of lack of oxygen, panic, which can ultimately lead to loss of consciousness.

You probably won’t meet people who have a fear of heights on a bridge, swimming pool towers, or in mountainous areas. Acrophobia accompanied by trembling, weakness in the limbs, dizziness and nausea.

What could be more wonderful than plunging into cool and clean water on a hot summer day. But not everyone shares this opinion. Fear of water ( aquaphobia) is a fairly common phenomenon, most often found in children. People who have this phobia most often do not want to look for an opportunity to overcome it, but simply try to avoid watery places.

A less common fear is fear of people in general ( anthropophobia). Although this is not strange, because you won’t see it on noisy city streets, in transport, cafes and other establishments. They leave their houses only in the early morning or late evening and you are unlikely to hear from them" Good morning(evening)!” or the answer to the phrase: “Can you tell me what time it is?” The reaction of such a person is quite difficult to predict. He may suddenly jump away from you and start running away, or start saying something absurd.

Another no less interesting fear is the fear of walking ( basiphobia). Honestly, I can't even imagine it. For people who suffer from this phobia, fear can cause such panic that losing consciousness is not the worst thing that can happen to them.

If your beloved man completely refuses the thought of marriage, he may be sick gamophobia. This is a fear of marriage, the exact signs of which do not exist. Not every woman wants to fight such a fear of her beloved, so you will need the help of a specialist in order to keep your beloved.

The incredible fear is hedonophobia- fear of joy, pleasure, pleasure. Don’t think that people who have this phobia always walk around without a mood, don’t smile, don’t laugh, they just believe that if some joyful event happened in their life, then failure will definitely await them or, what else worse, danger. But for the most part, hedonophobes are kind and carefree people.

Everyone knows that darkness is the friend of youth, but this is not entirely true, darkness is the friend of all humanity. The process of changing day and night was created for a reason, but with the aim of maintaining our health in a normal rhythm. But why the short daylight hours in winter period time leads every 20th person to depression, stress and poor health? Why does the dark morning that we meet when getting ready for work leave a negative imprint on the whole day? That’s the way we are built, and maybe after reading this article, we will begin to relate to darkness differently, because behind all the negative factors lies the real source of health.

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Photo gallery: The influence of darkness on human health

Scientists say that darkness has a positive effect on beauty. Lighting from electric bulbs and appliances has a negative impact on our skin, accelerating the aging process of cells, which is why it is so important to be exposed to natural light more often during the day and in complete darkness at night. And if you are of a romantic nature, then arrange dinner by candlelight more often: healthy, beautiful and imbued with passion.

So what are the benefits of darkness?

1. Reducing the risk of development cancerous tumor

It has been proven more than once that the intensity of lighting at night is directly related to the development of cancer. I’ll explain why this is so now. At night, our body is actively engaged not only in sleep, but also in the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a substance produced by the body at night for the purpose of natural protection against cancer, otherwise known as “darkness hormones”. The presence of light at night interferes with its production and, accordingly, reduces the body’s natural defense against this malignant disease. The action of melatonin is aimed at suppressing the growth of certain cancer cells, stimulating the development of white blood cells and strengthening the immune system. The effectiveness of this antioxidant is significantly increased when combined with anticancer drugs.

2. Reducing the likelihood of developing and worsening depressive conditions

Not only can the lack of daylight contribute to the development of depression, but also the lack of darkness. Man, like all living beings on earth, needs time to rest and fill himself with energy. Sleep helps us with this, but not just sleep, but sleep in complete darkness. The absence of natural cycles of day and night does not provide a person with adequate energy nutrition, which in turn gives rise to the development of a stressful state of the body - depression.

Some people like to sleep with the TV on, but this technique is even more dangerous, since flickering bursts of light and sounds are the most powerful aggressors of the subconscious, indirectly reflected on the conscious mind. This habit is contraindicated for humans, especially children.

3. Improved sleep quality

Sound and healthy sleep can only be in the dark. Various light sources worsen the quality of sleep and prevent a person from going deeper into it. People who sleep with appliances on take longer to fully recover their energy than those who sleep in complete darkness.

When a person finds himself in the dark, his body instantly adjusts to it and sleep comes much faster. As a result, the quality of sleep increases, stress vulnerability decreases, strength is restored faster, cells are intensively renewed, and the flow of energy to every point of the body increases.

4. Promotes weight loss

When a person finds himself in the dark, the body automatically turns off the “hunger” function and sets the mood to rest. In this way, nature protected us from overeating and gave the body the opportunity to rest from food without storing extra pounds in unwanted areas of our body. Scientists have proven that people sleeping in the light experience a feeling of hunger and the need to satisfy it. Systematic consumption of food at night does not benefit weight loss, but only leads to obesity, because the body is overloaded with food.

5. Supports work biological clock

The natural cycle of day and night forms and maintains the biological clock of each of us. Modern world filled with many interesting places to spend time that disrupt the natural rhythm: nightclubs, sitting at the computer until the early morning, watching TV, visiting 24-hour shops. We live and enjoy such a life, not suspecting that we are introducing a clear violation of natural rhythms.

Scientists have proven a direct connection between the failure of the biological clock and human well-being. The result can be stress, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system and many other diseases. To avoid undesirable consequences, experts advise shortening your day, going to bed at the same time, and curbing activity after dark. These recommendations do not mean that you need to completely give up nightlife, just try to minimize this lifestyle.

We've looked at the main benefits of darkness and it's up to you to decide whether to follow them or not. In any case, it is worth paying attention to them, because this is our health and we have only one. Of course, many cannot afford to change their lifestyle due to circumstances related to family or work, but diligently maintaining the natural rhythm of darkness and light, at least during vacation, will have a positive effect on health.

It is 17.00, the sun is rapidly setting behind the horizon, and Moscow is covered in darkness. Muscovites will see the next ray of sunlight only in 14 hours. Many children hide from the darkness under the covers in fear or spend the whole night with the lamp on. Our ancestors believed that it was at this time that we become targets for evil spirits and demons. In the 21st century, science has proven that there is no need to be afraid of the dark.

However, scientists have also discovered something else: most of us don’t even realize how much the time from dusk to dawn affects us. Is darkness really that dark? Can permanent life in the light lead to oncology? What actually causes fear of the dark and how to deal with it?

In ancient times, people believed that darkness was full of mysteries and secrets. Have they all been solved in the 21st century? What happens to us at a time when we see nothing? For modern scientists, everything is clear about darkness: it is simply the absence of light. Moreover, darkness is a completely subjective human sensation. The fact is that our eye perceives electromagnetic radiation in a fairly narrow range. Therefore, a room filled with infrared or ultraviolet light will seem completely dark to us, although the instruments will show that there is enough light there. Also, in order for us to see something, there must be an object reflecting light nearby.

The retina of our eyes contains light receptor cells - cones and rods. They are the ones who react to the flow of photons and transmit the signal to the back of the brain, where the image is formed. Cones are responsible for daytime vision and color recognition. Rods are responsible for night vision: they are able to capture weaker light, but the picture quality is not the best.

“Surely you all know the saying: at night all cats are gray. This is due precisely to the fact that we lack color vision, our cones are not excited, we low level lighting, so we see exactly this way: everything is black, gray,” says ophthalmologist Anna Zhemchugova.

Our eye is a unique instrument, the sensitivity of which scientists have not yet created equal to. In the visible range, it can distinguish absolutely any light.

“It is believed that the human eye is capable of registering one photon. Even if there is one photon in the entire room, after some time it will hit the human eye. Of course, it will be absorbed and there will be no more photons left in the room, but if there is even a small number of photons in the room, a person will distinguish something,” notes Associate Professor of the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov Nikolay Brandt.

IN normal conditions The human eye adapts to darkness in 30-40 minutes. At this time, complex chemical processes occur in the retinal rods. The fact is that in light, the photosensitive pigment rhodopsin breaks down into its components. In the dark, it is synthesized again, and light sensitivity increases tens of thousands of times. With a lack of rhodopsin, it occurs night blindness- a disease in which vision deteriorates not only in the dark, but even during light twilight.

“This disease can affect children and adults. In children it is extremely difficult. In adults it has a milder form, but, as a rule, treatment does not have much effect. And a lot of accidents happen with the participation of such people,” says ophthalmologist Anna Zhemchugova.

It is no coincidence that this blindness is called chicken blindness. Chickens really can't see anything in the dark. The rods responsible for night vision are practically absent in their eyes.

It is believed that the average domestic cat can see about seven times further than a human in the dark. Nocturnal predators have significantly fewer cones in their eyes than rods, so they see rather poorly during the day. Another thing is at night. The image, although black and white, is very clear. In addition, in the eyes of cats, behind the retina there is a special membrane - tapetum, which reflects light, acting as a kind of mirror. It is because of this that it seems to us that a cat’s eyes glow in the dark.

“The light that for some reason did not reach the retina, the rods, is reflected and re-perceived by the retina. All this leads to higher sensitivity to light in cats. More precisely, to the perception of light,” notes veterinarian Vyacheslav Porada.

The eyes of nocturnal animals are able to adapt to darkness in just a few seconds. In the 40s, Soviet scientists found that people can also learn to see in the dark and very quickly. The mechanisms of human adaptation to darkness were until recently secret military research.

“Two famous psychologists Krikor Kekcheev and Alexey Nikolaevich Leontyev invented a tablet called VR-10 - autonomic reflex, 10 grams. It consisted of half glucose and half ascorbic acid. So, the use of this pill by our pilots, who, for example, took off in the dark on alarm, reduced the time of dark adaptation by 700 percent. That is, seven times,” says Alexander Karayani, head of the psychology department at the Military University of the Russian Defense Ministry.

How does the absence of light affect other senses? And what happens under the cover of darkness to our psyche?

The influence of darkness on a person is not limited to physiological reactions. We are dependent on it at the biochemical level. Each of us has a biological clock. This function is performed small area hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. It is this part of the brain that gives commands to stay awake when the sun is shining and to sleep when it is dark. It is very difficult to deceive this mechanism. Most of us, no matter how well we sleep, cannot fully work when it is dark outside.

At this time, the brain works at half capacity, many processes in the body are slowed down. Scientists from the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences studied the health status of drivers of ground public transport. It turned out that drivers working in the dark get into accidents more often than their colleagues from day shifts, despite the fact that they slept for 10 hours before starting work.

“For three to five seconds the brain turns off. Individual areas of the brain fall asleep - the so-called local sleep, or microsleep. And if he drives in a straight line, then he drives automatically. And if there is a sharp turn, then it ends with who knows what,” says Vladimir Dorokhov, head of the laboratory at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Constant night work in most cases leads to a failure of the biological clock, which in turn seriously interferes with the work of a night owl.

“My assistant at one time worked part-time on night shifts on the telephone. She worked there for a year and had severe bouts of hypertension. I old man, and I don’t have them like she did, the young one healthy woman- the pressure jumped to 200-210. She was forced to quit work - and indeed, the pressure stabilized. But nevertheless, after this she began to have episodic crises, which she had never had before. That is, it did not pass without a trace,” says the chairman Russian society somnologist Vladimir Kovalzon.

Most changes in the body often become noticeable only after 10-15 years. And the consequences can be the most severe. People who sleep with light on and work at night are more likely to get cancer.

“Nurses who work shift work for many years, nurses often work shifts in hospitals, have an increased risk of breast cancer by 40 to 60 percent. It turned out that a woman who has insomnia four times a week or more, any woman, has more than two times the risk of developing breast cancer,” explained Professor of the Oncology Research Institute. N.N. Petrova Vladimir Anisimov.

Why is this happening? Often the development of cancer is associated with a lack of the hormone of darkness - melatonin. It is produced in the epiphysis - a small but important gland in the brain - during sleep with the lights off. Melatonin improves sleep, helps the body rest, and also has an antioxidant effect - it protects us from free radicals that cause cancer. When we start sleeping in the light, melatonin is not produced. The risk of cancer increases significantly. Scientists from the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Oncology were among the first to prove this mechanism by conducting a series of experiments on mice and rats.

“We have shown that keeping people in light around the clock accelerates aging, accelerates development hormonal disorders and increases the risk of tumor development. And not only tumors, but also non-tumor pathologies. All this more often causes infections in rats that were kept in constant lighting conditions. Or in the conditions of white nights,” said Anisimov.

It turns out that long polar days and even the famous St. Petersburg white nights influence the development of cancer. According to statistics, residents of St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk or Magadan live less than residents of temperate latitudes. There are no white nights in the Russian capital, but Muscovites also suffer from a lack of melatonin. The hormone of darkness is not produced in the required quantities due to the powerful night lighting in the city.

Very few people can remain fully awake at night, but very few can sleep during the day. Moreover, even if the night owl feels great, such a schedule will sooner or later affect his health.

There are many restaurants in the world where visitors are offered refreshment in complete darkness. The essence of the trick is that without seeing food, people do not understand what they are eating and drinking. The food seems tasteless and strange. In the dark, without this information, we find ourselves at a loss and do not even recognize products that are well known to us. For many, darkness exacerbates another feeling - a feeling of fear.

“We have an instinct of self-preservation, an instinct of safety. Nature created us this way. Without this instinct, we would very quickly destroy ourselves, even in any game situation. But this instinct sometimes turns into an alarming, such a phobic stage in some individuals. We receive 90 percent of information through our eyes during normal times. And suddenly it’s dark, your eyes practically turn off. And this unknown: what’s behind, and what’s on the left, what’s on the right - this is already causing anxiety,” said psychotherapist Sergei Kulikov.

For a psychotherapist, it is obvious: fear of the dark is just the tip of the iceberg. At the heart of it all is the feeling of insecurity that arose in early childhood. The doctor prescribes a comprehensive treatment: first, a psychoanalysis session to figure out what caused the phobia, then hypnosis, which will help get rid of fear.

After one session, it is, of course, impossible to learn to control yourself in the dark. A long course of psychoanalysis and hypnosis is required.

In addition, many people who do not have darkness-related phobias feel calm in the dark. It is no coincidence that in some Eastern religions there is a practice called “Dark Retreat”, or “Solitude in the Dark”. The point is simple: without external stimuli, it is easier for us to understand ourselves, get rid of habits and complexes that hinder us. Some practitioners sit in darkness this way for weeks.

“In India, in the East, psychiatric illnesses, alcoholism, drug addiction are treated by locking a person for 21 days in a dark place, usually underground. And, being without light, the human brain completely goes through a cleansing phase,” says psychic and parapsychologist Vitaly Bograd.

Psychic Vitaly Bograd has tested himself in darkness more than once and warns: the method is effective, but dangerous. Not everyone is ready to endure a meeting with themselves in space, without a single ray of light.

“At a certain stage, there may be wild fear when you touch your inner fear-images. And these fear-images can be projected in the dark in such a way that you will fight with them,” says Bograd. The method that the psychic himself practices is quite severe: from two weeks to two months of complete darkness. You can only take water and a minimum of food with you.

However, if a person is not afraid to be alone with himself, even a few hours in the dark will help him relax.

It's half past seven in the morning, the sun is rising over Moscow. It's getting brighter every minute. We are accustomed to the fact that it begins precisely from these moments. real life. But let's imagine what would happen to humanity if we lived only in the light. Millions of people would not be able to sleep a wink. Every inhabitant of the earth would be exhausted from chronic fatigue. Failure of the biological clock would cause many fatal diseases. And all this because people have lost the several hours of darkness required for our body.

So, surprisingly, darkness is fraught not only with an abstract threat, but also with very concrete positive things: vigor, health, and sometimes a good mood.