For reference:
https://gizmodo.com/are-humans-hardwired-to-detect-snakes-1453865235
I had a moment last week where I stopped before I consciously recognized a snake. The poor thing was dead, but it reminded me that I’d read about this happening before. However, since I know about it, I could be reading into my response. When I’ve asked other people, a couple have been like “oh, I think I had that happen once.” But that’s all anecdotes I’ve biased by telling them the theory.
Nevertheless, I enjoy the anecdotes, and I’m also curious if other people think it’s real.
Your mind works on different levels at the same time. Responses to danger (and sexual attraction) happen much more quickly than can be explained by cognition. There is a part of your brain, that doesn’t have access to language or consciousness that can identify scary snakes (and pretty girls) faster than your conscious mind could identify them.
Brain-scans have found that the conscious fear response isn’t a reaction to the stimulus, but rather it’s reacting to your sympathetic nervous system freaking out. The part of your mind that sounded the alarm is invisible to you.