THE INDEPENDENT: Why Halloween can be like therapy for some people

Press/Media: Research

Description

How we learn to control our fears has been the subject of academic study. My colleague Sara Tai, at the University of Manchester, has looked closely at how we learn to appraise and control our anxieties. In a particularly Halloween-related study, Sara, Andrew Healey and Warren Mansell found that if they allowed people to “play” with spider imagery (rather than trying to “cure” their “arachnophobia”) their anxieties lessened.

Period31 Oct 2017

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleWhy Halloween can be like therapy for some people
    Media name/outletThe Independent
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date31/10/17
    DescriptionHow we learn to control our fears has been the subject of academic study. My colleague Sara Tai, at the University of Manchester, has looked closely at how we learn to appraise and control our anxieties. In a particularly Halloween-related study, Sara, Andrew Healey and Warren Mansell found that if they allowed people to “play” with spider imagery (rather than trying to “cure” their “arachnophobia”) their anxieties lessened.
    URLwww.independent.co.uk/voices/halloween-therapy-mental-health-roller-coaster-spider-fear-scare-films-a8027071.html
    PersonsSara Tai, Andrew Healey, Warren Mansell
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Keywords

  • psychology
  • phobias
  • anxiety
  • arachnophobia