.jpg)
We all know that being spooked by a pitch-black room is a common childhood fear. But by the time we become adults, we know, on a rational level, that there’s no reason to be scared when the lights are off. At least that’s what we tell ourselves when we get totally nervous in the dark. Turns out that fear is pretty normal—experts say being scared of the dark is actually a fairly common thing among adults.
According to clinical psychologist John Mayer, Ph.D., author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life, fear of the dark is “very common” among adults. “It is estimated that 11 percent of the U.S. population is afraid of the dark,” he says, noting that it’s even more common than a fear of heights.
That's because the fear comes from a very logical place. “Darkness impairs our vision, quite literally, and this is inherently uncomfortable,” explains licensed clinical psychologist Alicia H. Clark, Psy.D. “We aren’t afraid so much of the dark as we are afraid of what is in the dark we can’t see.”
Simon Rego, Psy.D., chief psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, says that the fear of the dark is likely evolutionary. Our caveman ancestors were more at risk of being attacked by predators in the dark, so the fear has legitimate origins. Plus, you just can’t see all that well when it’s dark and therefore aren’t in as good of a position to fend off an attacker, if one were there. “People tend to feel more uneasy in situations where they’re more likely to be vulnerable to being attacked,” Rego says.
It’s not necessarily bad to be a little nervous in the dark, since Clark points out that it motivates you to protect yourself. “Walking down a dark alley at night should make us feel uncomfortable so that we sharpen our self-protection skills should they be called upon,” she says. “Likewise, avoiding walking down a dark alley alone is being smart. Being uncomfortable can prompt us to do something about it, and this is a good thing.”
It’s completely normal to be a little nervous or more on guard if you’re, say, sleeping in a new hotel room or place, Rego says. But a fear of the dark can cross into a disorder when you’re so freaked out by the dark that it interferes with your ability to function at home, work, or socially, like you don’t want to go out alone at night because it’s dark, or you’re not getting quality sleep because you need your bedroom lights to be on.
If you find that you struggle with being in the dark, Clark says, “be curious about what is actually frightening you, and use your fear to take action against these threats, making sure that there is nothing is in the dark that is threatening.” For example, if you’re scared of someone breaking in to your place, considering fortifying locks on your doors, getting an alarm system, or taking a home safety class to learn what you can do to make your place safer. “Knowing you have done what you can to protect yourself can calm your fears when they kick in,” she says.
You can also just get a night-light. “Using practical coping mechanisms are important, and I teach people to ‘surrender’ to it,” Mayer says. “If you fear the dark, use these practical coping mechanisms to make you comfortable—night-lights, automatic lights, AI devices that can control lights, etc.”
If those options don’t work and you think your fear of the dark is more of a phobia, Rego says it can be a good idea to talk to a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy. But if it's not that severe, now you know—you're not alone!
