ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on negativity toward species. There are several terms for dislike of other species, but these are not well known. Most humans are completely unaware of the hundreds of millions of species in the world, but on the basis of experience with a few familiar animals and plants, people have nevertheless developed unflattering stereotypes for various life forms, most infamously ‘bugs,’ which include the majority of the world’s species. Clinically serious phobias affect about 10% of people. Zoophobia is the most common class of phobia, with a lifetime prevalence estimated at 3.3–5.7%. Good-looking people are comparatively successful in mating and other social interactions, and in achievements in numerous occupations where personal appearance is a factor, by comparison with unattractive individuals, often crudely termed ‘losers’. In humans, sexism is exacerbated by the advantages of greater size and aggression in men, and the biological burdens of motherhood and associated maternal behavior in women.
