General Discussion

@Xymatta

if it helps

as a professionally-trained psych who's run anxiety groups, what I -suspect- (I obviously can't test this in lab conditions) is the general core factor that makes moths scare people so much is a relatively unpredictable flight path

see: the difference between flies and moths, and why the latter is a much more common fear

I've noticed the same thing with bird phobias, a bird's path is not a very predictable entity either

I'm not sure how much that helps, but part of my job's been to disseminate fears down to their core elements

so maybe it'll help to do some research/video viewing on moth flight? I don't think it's -actually- a random thing but it sure looks like that to us, more than it does with most other insects, and if it's more of a 'known quantity' that might cause it to be somewhat less upsetting

I've also noticed certain types of moths are worse for it than others- my school had these little orange and black guys that few MEGA SLOW and it seemed to upset some people because they'd boomp into you or land on you like kind of accidentally when we had to run through the bushland for PE class (australia)

as for getting them to land on you: obvs they are drawn to light and are more plentiful at night, so perhaps holding/wearing some kind of light source is the way? I'm not sure whether it'd be best to do that near other bright light sources (where the moths are already known to be hanging out) or further away from it where there's less light competition, but either should at least draw in some moth

To be honest, I wanted to get a hold of a fae dragon that looks like a Rosy Maple Moth. I think moths are cool creatures...

I can handle looking at "cute" bugs like the moths you used as examples or even pictures of stuff like, jumping spiders or caterpillars but bugs are just too odd for me to get used to in persON..

If they're not plain terrifying or evil, I'm just creeped out by the fact that they're unpredictable. I don't like holding or being near something that can potentially bite me or do something cr e epy..

I feel you. I have a friend, who whenever he says something about maggots in my presence, he'll add 'but maybe not because you hate them.' or something like this.
Thing is, I like maggots in a way. They are extremely useful critters, and baby animals. You couldn't hate a baby animal, could you. Overall, I'd say I like maggots more than many mammals.

And yet I'm GOD. DAMN. TERRIFIED of these tiny critters. I used to be even afraid of individual ones, but now, only writhing masses are still a problem.
I owe my progress to Bogleech. If you like the weird, check out his website.

BTW: Maggot faces look like walrus-faces. That's not scary, that's awesome.

Me to moth: "Hey little guy, you're cute looking. Don't get to close though I seem to find you scary?"

moth to Me: "You Humans should be scared. we, the moths, are planning to take over the world and put holes in your favourite scarfs!"

Me to Something?: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

OMG MOTHS SCARE ME SOOO BADLY! No one else in my family gets it but they scare me so much. I don't know what it is about them maybe the way they fly or how there fuzzy?! I don't know but they scare me.