Tackling a spider phobia could be as simple as learning to tolerate anxiety, an academic says after a poll commissioned by a cybersecurity firm showed spiders were among Australians' biggest fears. Snakes (30 per cent) and spiders (17 per cent) were among the leading fears for 1079 adults asked to select their top fear from a list of 10. However, many people who fear spiders have never been bitten. Prof Norberg said fear expectancies are likely not developed by nature but from being told more often that snakes and spiders are dangerous than other stimuli rarely associated with phobias. "To overcome a spider phobia - or any phobia for that matter - people need to learn that they can tolerate anxiety and fear,' Assoc Prof Norberg said.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 06, 2019 04:16 UTC