Why might someone be afraid of lightning but not thunder?

Question

i know someone who even in a house or car is absoluely terrified of lightning but the sound of thunder doesn't make her jump.. why?

She tried to explain it to me once that it may have been to do with when she was a kid, how everyone told her the thunder was angels bowling in heaven but no one explained the lightning. She later found out it was dangerous and that there are quite a number of deaths due to it and is now in my eyes paranoid.

What should i tell her?

Answer 1

Lightning does seem more threatning then thunder.  You can see the bolts comming down from the sky, compared to thunder is a noise in the sky.  Some people feel that; you never know where a bolt of lightning can come down at.  Some people think that they can get shocked by lightning, and it worries them.  Thunder is just a noise in the sky; to what it feels like.  I hope I explained this enough.

Answer 2

Lightning can kill you but thunder can't.

Answer 3

cause thunder cant kill you

just tell her theres a really slight change of being electricuted and yer :)

Answer 4

Tell her she is right to be afraid, and to look for a safe place away from it. Going inside a house or car would be a safe dry place to enjoy the view and sound of both.

Join her in being afraid you will be better off and chances are you`ll live longer.

Answer 5

Think about it.  Aside from lightning being a big arc of electricity, it's also a huge spark of electricity.  You're looking outside then suddenly there's these giant bright flashes like a camera going off.  Sometimes it lights up the clouds and sometimes you get the "forked" lightning.

One thing to do is show what lightning is.  Drag your feet on the rug or have her do it, then touch a metal door k**b.  Tell her the spark is lightning, and the pop is thunder, and she just made her own.  

And yes, thunder is angels in Heaven bowling.  The really loud one are strikes, the bumping or short ones are spares, and the really long low rumbles are gutter balls.

Answer 6

The difference is the perceived proximity to the source of "danger". When she hears the thunder, she is most likely in a safe place, like her home, where she cannot be harmed. However, when she sees lightning, she is most likely outside and feels closer to the source of her fear.

To calm her paranoia, tell her the odds of being hit by lightning are very small. In fact, the chances of being hit by lightning in the USA are 1 in 700,000. You can also tell her that the simplest way to stay safe during a lightning storm is to seek shelter right away.

Answer 7

Just tell her the angels in heaven had a blackout and needed extra lights (:

Answer 8

BECAUSE OF THE FRANKENSTEIN IDEA

PEOPLE BEEIVE THAT THE DEAD CAN RENCARNATE

AFTER BEING HIT BY LIGHTNING

THUS THEY ARE SCARED

Answer 9

I used to be scared about get stuck by lighting.

Maybe you should tell her that you are more likely to die from a coconut fallind on your head than getting hit by lightning. I know how she feels cus i am still a bit sared.

Also when i was younger my teacher told me god was wheeling a wheel barrow up and down to make thunder.

Answer 10

First in the car.  When in the car durring a storm its absolutly impossible to get hit by lightning, (lol im afraid of everything) , have you ever looked at the tires, they are made of rubber, which prevents lightning from, electracuting the cars passengers, its will either, be absorbed; or simply zap around the car area.

But its important to not leave the car, because you will become fried human, Tell her that as long as she's in the car she's fine, it might work.

Next house, the house is perfectly safe in most storms, but its best to turn off all hydro, (which is baaad for the environment) and avoid windows, the house is built big strong and sturdy, so you should tell her that everything will be fine.  The house is built to keep you safe and protect you, not jujst welcome the lightning and thunder with a  heart warminng hug!

One of the reasons people, (like me who im afraid ofd both) are afraid of lightning but not thunder, is simply because lightning is a big stream of electricity, that can kill, damage, and scare, while thunder is a sound, though I find the sounds of thunder to be quite eery,

Do what I do, tell her when she sees lightning to count until she hears thunder, and that's how far away the storm is... It works on me!

Hope this helped,

Courtney D. :)

Answer 11

Well from a personal point of view - lightning can kill me!!!! thunder, as nasty and loud as it sounds can't do an awful lot to me (except make me hide under the bed, of course!! lol)

Answer 12

what age is she?

Answer 13

Because they are deaf!

Answer 14

Maybe the sight of a fast,bright light may trigger some kind of reaction. Really good question,1 star for you.