robert anton wilson theorized in his book "prometheus rising" that neophobia is instinctual in people after they begin to raise children. wilson's views on neophobia are mostly negative, believing that it is the reason human culture and ideas do not advance as quickly as our technology. his model includes an idea from thomas kuhn's "the structure of scientific revolutions", which is that new ideas, however well proven and evident, are implemented only when the generations who consider them "new" die and are replaced by generations who consider the ideas accepted and old.