The Year Ancestral Cryophobia Came Back
By Dr. Barefoot Sidy Diallo
When ancestral cryophobia suddenly re-emerged in 2022, the Paleolithic instinct impelled some Europeans to steal firewood.
Europeans’ phobia of spending the winter 2022–2023 without heating is a harsh reminder, particularly to those who think they “have evolved,” that humans are a tropical species. As long as heating was guaranteed and the prices of gas and electricity were affordable, barefoot phobia was the only notable symptom of the ancestral cryophobia—the irrational fear of extreme cold.
As I explain in the book Running Barefoot for Human Survival, we are a tropical species, which means that our body is perfectly designed for survival without any protection or shelter in our natural habitat, namely the Earth zone extending from the Tropic of Cancer in the north to the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.
Those humans who live in higher latitudes (in Europe, United States, Canada, Tasmania, etc.) may still walk and run barefoot or even—where permitted—wear no clothes in the spring, in the summer and in the autumn, but not in the very cold months. In that regard, since the adaptation to barefoot running is easily reversible, one effective way to prevent regression during the winter is to go and run in our natural habitat.
Cryophobia and barefoot phobia originated some 40,000 years ago when the first individuals of Homo sapiens arrived in Southern Europe without any protection against the cold and had to confront the winter: those who found a cave had more chance to survive.
They later learned how to survive by developing shelters and techniques that made the hostile habitat increasingly habitable, so much so that all symptoms of cryophobia, except the irrational fear of walking or running on naked feet, were buried in their reptilian brains for tens of thousands of years, that is until the Europeans started facing unprecedented high energy prices and the risks of power and gas outages in winter.
The revival of the ancestral cryophobia is so brutally impacting Europe that their anxious leaders are desperately hoping to prevent blackouts and heating gas shortages by infantilizing the citizens. On the other hand, just like in the Middle Ages, scared people are stockpiling firewood for the winter by all means, including theft.
And yet, like barefoot phobia, cryophobia is not warranted: our modern shelters offer far better protection than any cave, we have efficient clothes (not animal skins), we have more body fat that can limit heat loss and be used as a source of energy for physical activity to kill two birds with one stone, etc.
Climate Migrants Who Call Themselves “Expats”
Meanwhile, those humans who live in tropical countries keep enjoying the perks of the human natural habitat: nice temperatures, sunny days, beautiful beaches and landscapes, etc.
This explains why an increasing number of people are migrating from Europe and North America to tropical countries. These climate migrants call themselves “expats” to distinguish themselves from those who are migrating in the opposite direction, where cold winters—possibly without heating—are ominously waiting for them.
My book Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
When ancestral cryophobia suddenly re-emerged in 2022, the Paleolithic instinct impelled some Europeans to steal firewood.
Europeans’ phobia of spending the winter 2022–2023 without heating is a harsh reminder, particularly to those who think they “have evolved,” that humans are a tropical species. As long as heating was guaranteed and the prices of gas and electricity were affordable, barefoot phobia was the only notable symptom of the ancestral cryophobia—the irrational fear of extreme cold.
As I explain in the book Running Barefoot for Human Survival, we are a tropical species, which means that our body is perfectly designed for survival without any protection or shelter in our natural habitat, namely the Earth zone extending from the Tropic of Cancer in the north to the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.
Those humans who live in higher latitudes (in Europe, United States, Canada, Tasmania, etc.) may still walk and run barefoot or even—where permitted—wear no clothes in the spring, in the summer and in the autumn, but not in the very cold months. In that regard, since the adaptation to barefoot running is easily reversible, one effective way to prevent regression during the winter is to go and run in our natural habitat.
Cryophobia and barefoot phobia originated some 40,000 years ago when the first individuals of Homo sapiens arrived in Southern Europe without any protection against the cold and had to confront the winter: those who found a cave had more chance to survive.
They later learned how to survive by developing shelters and techniques that made the hostile habitat increasingly habitable, so much so that all symptoms of cryophobia, except the irrational fear of walking or running on naked feet, were buried in their reptilian brains for tens of thousands of years, that is until the Europeans started facing unprecedented high energy prices and the risks of power and gas outages in winter.
The revival of the ancestral cryophobia is so brutally impacting Europe that their anxious leaders are desperately hoping to prevent blackouts and heating gas shortages by infantilizing the citizens. On the other hand, just like in the Middle Ages, scared people are stockpiling firewood for the winter by all means, including theft.
And yet, like barefoot phobia, cryophobia is not warranted: our modern shelters offer far better protection than any cave, we have efficient clothes (not animal skins), we have more body fat that can limit heat loss and be used as a source of energy for physical activity to kill two birds with one stone, etc.
Climate Migrants Who Call Themselves “Expats”
Meanwhile, those humans who live in tropical countries keep enjoying the perks of the human natural habitat: nice temperatures, sunny days, beautiful beaches and landscapes, etc.
This explains why an increasing number of people are migrating from Europe and North America to tropical countries. These climate migrants call themselves “expats” to distinguish themselves from those who are migrating in the opposite direction, where cold winters—possibly without heating—are ominously waiting for them.
My book Running Barefoot for Human Survival is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format (French edition: Courir pieds nus pour sauver les humains).
Tiempo.com: Durante la última glaciación nuestros ancestros tuvieron que refugiarse en cuevas para protegerse del intenso frío y las inclementes condiciones meteorológicas. English: During the last ice age, our ancestors had to take refuge in caves to protect themselves from the intense cold and inclement weather conditions.
Many people aren’t aware that we’re luckily living in an interglacial period of the Quaternary ice age, known as Holocene, which began 11,700 years ago, and the planet is heading into another ice age. The last ice age lasted 103,000 years. You may want to learn about the Milankovitch cycles. They describe the effects of changes in the Earth’s movements on its climate.
Many people aren’t aware that we’re luckily living in an interglacial period of the Quaternary ice age, known as Holocene, which began 11,700 years ago, and the planet is heading into another ice age. The last ice age lasted 103,000 years. You may want to learn about the Milankovitch cycles. They describe the effects of changes in the Earth’s movements on its climate.
Theft of firewood in Europe
Vol de bois de chauffage en Europe
Robo de leña en Europa
Diebstahl von Brennholz in Europa
Beautiful sunset in the Caribbean (Antigua)
Dr. Sidy Diallo relaxing on a hammock in the human natural habitat (Aruba)