Fear of Snakes Test

The IDRlabs Fear of Snakes Test was developed by IDRlabs International. It is based on the scientific questionnaire authored by Jeff Szymanski and William O'Donohue but is not associated with these researchers or their institutions.

Some examples of ophidiophobia-related feedback include: Intense fear of snakes: While many people are somewhat cautious or fearful around snakes, your fear of snakes is so great that it significantly impacts your mental health, sense of safety, and overall well-being — this is an anxiety disorder; a specific phobia (fear) known as ophidiophobia.

Ophidiophobia is an extreme, overwhelming fear. You may recognize your fear as excessive but be unable to control it. Your brain perceives snakes as a huge threat, causing you to have strong physical and emotional reactions to the sight (or even the thought) of a snake. When faced with a snake, your body enters a state of intense nervous system arousal that prepares you to fight, flee, or freeze in self-defense. This anxiety response is evident by a racing pulse, sweaty palms, shallow breathing, and flushing of the skin. You may feel shaky or sick to your stomach, and you may experience a sense of dread and insurmountable fear. Even after the snake stimulus has been removed, you may continue to ruminate on the perceived threat, having “flashbacks” and intrusive thoughts related to the feared object. Given the severity of your ophidiophobia, this condition might interfere with your social or professional life. You may compulsively avoid other people’s homes, pet stores, zoos, outdoor activities, or any other situations where snakes could be. You could experience a panic attack when you see or hear something that might possibly be a snake (e.g., a rope or a hissing sound). People can find it difficult to fully understand the extent of your fear, causing you to feel embarrassed and misunderstood.

If you wish to work toward improving the symptoms of your ophidiophobia, you might benefit from connecting with a mental health professional for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Exposure Therapy.

Or: Moderate fear of snakes: An excessive physical and emotional fear-response to snakes is considered a mental health condition known as ophidiophobia. Like many people, you have mild ophidiophobic tendencies not severe enough to be considered truly pathological; this fear of snakes only manifests itself occasionally and rarely impacts your life in any significant way. When you encounter a snake, you are likely to experience moderate nervous system arousal in the form of shallow breathing, elevated pulse, sweaty palms, and shakiness. However, you are generally able to manage these symptoms and remain reasonably calm despite the discomfort. You may still seek to avoid or leave the situation where the snake exposure is occurring. While interacting with snakes – or even just thinking about them – is a decidedly unpleasant experience for you and may cause you some embarrassment and discomfort, this unease does not dramatically affect your daily life. You are able to participate and engage in activities without feeling unsafe or overly anxious about encountering a snake, and you do not suffer from related intrusive thoughts.

If you do choose to work on your snake anxiety, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Therapy, and relaxation techniques have all been proven effective at improving ophidiophobia symptoms.

As the developers and publishers of this Fear of Snakes Test, we have striven to make sure the quiz is as complete and accurate as possible by subjecting it to statistical controls and validation. Before taking our free online assessment, please remember that the test is provided “as-is” for entertainment purposes and should not be misconstrued as providing professional advice or recommendations of any kind. If you would like additional information about the present test or any of our other online tests, please refer to our Terms of Service.