Fast Company x Glow Away

When you’re four years old, imaginary monsters under the bed can cause very real anxiety.

Scientists say that the fear of the dark is an evolutionary mechanism, passed down to us from our ancestors who were regularly attacked by nocturnal predators. As we grow up, it takes time for our brains to realize that our fears are unfounded. Psychologists believe that 50% of children between the ages of 2 and 7 are afraid of the dark. And left untreated, that fear can continue on into adulthood: Among grown-ups, 8% of women and 3% of men are scared of the dark, which often leads to insomnia.

Most parents don’t take their children’s fears of darkness seriously. If they’re particularly annoyed that their toddler is crawling into bed with them every night, they might buy them a nightlight, which does not help children develop the coping mechanisms to survive with the light off altogether. The most common way adults tackle kids' fears is to try to rationalize with them, telling them there's nothing to worry about.

"Rationalizing with children between the ages of 2 and 7 does not work," says Davide Russo, who cofounded Glow Away with his business partner, Charlotte Cramer. "Telling them that their fears are not real is not helpful, because, to that child, those fears are everything."

Read more by Elizabeth Segran -> https://www.fastcompany.com/3042892/sleep-week/the-psychology-of-sleep-how-a-spell-casting-blanket-imagination-help-kids-conquer