#Arachnophilia spiderman movie#

“Incorporating exposure to short scenes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe within a therapeutic protocol for such phobias may be robustly efficacious and enhance cooperation and motivation by rendering the therapy as less stigmatic.” “Seven-second exposure to insect-specific stimuli within a positive context reduces the level of phobic symptoms. Professor Menachem Ben-Ezra, of Ariel University in Israel, said: “Reduction in phobic symptoms was significant in the Spider-Man and Ant-Man group in comparison to the control group. The other only saw the Marvel opening credits along with nature footage of actual ants and spiders.

Paul Rudd as Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp in “Ant-Man and The Wasp.” ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett In the study, 424 participants with relevant phobias were split into two groups, with one shown a video with scenes from the Spider-Man and Ant-Man movies. The concept of treating phobias by exposing sufferers to the same stimuli that triggers it has been studied before but never using fantasy or comic book figures. It reduced participants’ fear-of-spiders by 20 percent.

#Arachnophilia spiderman movie#

Now a study has found short movie excerpts showing the superheroes relieves the common and stressful condition.Ĭlips from “Spider-Man” were more effective at curing arachnophobia than footage of the real thing. Natural selection is likely to favor those who stay away from potentially lethal creatures.

It’s believed the condition evolved when our early ancestors lived alongside a host of deadly insects in Africa. The phenomenon may lead to the films being used in cognitive behavioral therapy to treat those who suffer from the irrational sense of danger. Seeing them on the screen for just seven seconds slashes symptoms of insect phobia and arachnophobia by a fifth, according to new research. Movie heroes Spider-Man and Ant-man can help people conquer their fear of creepy-crawlies, scientists believe.