It’s a fear that affects around 18% of people, but now scientists believe they may have found an unusual sure for arachnophobia .
Researchers from Ariel University and Bar-Ilan University have found that watching Spider-Man films can actually cure a fear of spiders.
And similarly, watching films featuring the superhero Antman can help to cure a fear of ants, according to the study.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers exposed 424 participants with a fear of spiders to an excerpt from Spiderman 2, and those with a fear of ants an excerpt from Antman.
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Amazingly, watching just seven seconds of each film was enough to reduce fear symptoms by 20%.
However, when participants were asked about their general insect phobia both pre- and post-viewing the clip, there was no significant symptom reductions for the phobia.
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According to the researchers, this suggests that it wasn’t simply the calm or fun of watching a Marvel film that caused the effect, and instead, it was due to the exposure to ants and spiders in the film.
The researchers believe the findings could contribute to a more effective treatment for arachnophobia.
And with the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame tonight, the findings could the perfect excuse to drag any friends with a fear of spiders to the cinema!
