up in the dark

[darkoshi]

I've discovered that heights bother me less at night / when it is dark. Today I cleared pine straw off the roof, using an extensible pole with a rake-like attachment while standing on a ladder leaned against the roof. The sun set before I was done, so I continued while wearing a headlamp (yay LED bulbs which can shine bright for hours without using the batteries up).

Usually doing the side above the garage feels scary to me. But today in the dark, notwithstanding the flood lights and headlamp, it didn't bother me. Doing this task after dark has another benefit - not having the sun glare in my eyes.

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It reminds me of an amusement park ride I was on as a child. I'm not sure, but it must have been Space Mountain at Disneyland. It was like a roller coaster, but indoors and in the dark. Normal roller coasters terrify me due to my fear of heights. But this ride didn't bother me and was fun.

Comments

Darkness

[(Anonymous)]

Darkness, it turns out, can also reduce the intensity of emotional responses and can promote unethical behaviors, including cheating and selfishness. These findings suggest that the low levels of illumination commonly found in restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs, airplanes, and along highways could elevate the risk of a number of unhealthy or even dangerous behaviors, including failure to wash one’s hands, sexual promiscuity, or an increased likelihood of speeding or drunk driving. Perhaps there is, after all, reason to fear the dark.

Re: Darkness

[darkoshi]

In my case, I believe the reduction in fear is due to vision rather than a difference in emotional response. Darker = less visual input to show how high I am off the ground, and therefore less to make me feel unsteady and nervous.