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More and more people are feeling dread, fear, and even disgust toward the great outdoors. In A Nutshell

Animal phobias affect between 4% and 9% of people worldwide, causing anxiety, stress, and avoidance of natural areas that weakens environmental support

Research focuses almost exclusively on spiders and mammals while ignoring how people increasingly fear or dislike harmless species

Evidence suggests a troubling feedback loop: less time in nature may breed more fear, leading to even less outdoor time and stronger disconnection

Nearly 90% of studies capture only a snapshot in time rather than tracking changes, leaving researchers unable to determine how quickly the problem grows

Scientists have a name for the creeping dislike or even fear many people feel toward nature: biophobia. A new review of 196 studies reveals that this aversion to the natural world may be growing, with researchers warning of potential threats to both human well-being and environmental protection efforts.

Between 4% and 9% of people worldwide suffer from animal phobias, experiencing anxiety, nausea, and stress when encountering wildlife. But the problem goes beyond clinical phobias. Many people simply feel uncomfortable in natural settings, leading them to avoid parks, hiking trails, and outdoor spaces altogether.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden and the University of Tokyo analyzed decades of research spanning environmental sciences, psychology, and medicine. Their findings, published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, identify a concerning pattern. The evidence suggests that as people spend less time in nature, their fear and dislike of it may grow stronger, potentially creating a self-reinforcing cycle.

The Spider Problem

Interestingly, nearly all biophobia research focuses on animals, with 98% of studies examining fear of creatures rather than nature more broadly. Mammals and spiders dominate the research, accounting for 30% and 27% of studies respectively.

Meanwhile, amphibians appeared as a primary focus in just 0.5% of studies, essentially one single paper. This narrow focus means scientists know very little about why people increasingly fear or dislike harmless species.

Growing evidence suggests that fear and disgust now extends well beyond traditionally dangerous animals to species that pose little or no threat to humans.

Spiders appear responsible for a large portion of biophobia cases – at least according to research performed thus far. (© Robert Petrovic – stock.adobe.com) What’s Driving the Fear Of Nature?

The causes vary widely from person to person. Individual psychology plays a role, including what someone believes about nature and how sensitive they are to anxiety. Physical factors matter too—age, sex, and genetics all influence how people respond to wildlife encounters.

But environment and social influences may be most important. Someone living near wolf territories might develop more negative views over time, especially if local news frequently reports livestock losses. Family attitudes, cultural beliefs, and media coverage all shape how people perceive nature.

Social media amplifies the problem. Negative stories about shark attacks, bear encounters, or venomous snakes spread rapidly online, while positive nature experiences get far less attention. Each scary headline reinforces the idea that nature is something to fear rather than enjoy.

Real Consequences

The effects reach beyond individual discomfort. People who fear nature avoid natural areas, weakening their connection to the environment and reducing support for conservation. Studies show biophobic individuals express greater support for culling animals like bears, wolves, and sharks.

Researchers warn this could create a troubling feedback loop. Less time in nature may breed more fear, which could lead to even less time outdoors, potentially generating stronger fears. Each generation might grow more disconnected than the last.

Missing Pieces

The research acknowledges certain limitations. Nearly 90% of studies look at a single point in time rather than tracking how fear changes over years, making it difficult to determine how quickly the problem may be growing.

Geography presents another gap. Only seven studies compared attitudes across countries, and all included at least one European nation. Research from Africa, South America, and most of Asia remains scarce, even though cultural differences likely produce very different relationships with nature.

The study calls for researchers across disciplines to work together and expand their focus beyond snakes and spiders. Understanding how and why fear of nature spreads will be critical for developing solutions while the opportunity remains to address the disconnect.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Individuals experiencing anxiety or phobias should consult with a qualified healthcare professional.

Paper Summary Limitations

The systematic review examined only English-language peer-reviewed studies published from 1990 onward. The search was conducted through Web of Science and PubMed using specific search terms. The review excluded reviews, meta-analyses, studies on biophilia, and studies on fears with inanimate focus or of humans. The analysis revealed geographical bias, with research concentrated in Western countries. The overwhelming majority (89%) of studies were cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, limiting understanding of temporal changes. Research participants varied substantially between disciplines, with conservation studies typically using local residents and clinical studies using convenience samples selected for known biophobia.

Funding and Disclosures

The Royal Physiographic Society in Lund, Sweden, financed the mobility of lead author Johan Kjellberg Jensen. Jensen and co-author Anna S. Persson received support from the strategic research area Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate (BECC), funded by the Government of Sweden. Persson received additional funding from Formas (grant 2019-01524). Co-author Masashi Soga was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (grant 23K28273). No competing interests were disclosed.

Publication Details

The study “Toward a unified understanding of people’s aversion to nature: biophobia” was authored by Johan Kjellberg Jensen and Anna S. Persson (Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sweden) and Masashi Soga (Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan). The paper was published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment in 2025 (doi:10.1002/fee.70019). The data extracted for the systematic review are publicly available on Figshare with DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28574354. The work is published under a Creative Commons Attribution License.