A MOBILE phone game can help banish a fear of spiders, according to a new study. The ‘phobia’ game involves tracking spiders, with points awarded for each one found.
Around 60 people with the fear were split into two groups and played either the spider game or a different one twice a day for a week. Those who played the spider game were up to six times more likely to reduce their fear, reported the Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
The researchers, from Philipps University of Marburg, in Germany, say the app – which is in its development stage – is a virtual ‘exposure therapy’, which builds up exposure to the fear.
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