Michael Vasey, professor of psychology at Ohio State University, found in his research that if you're afraid of spiders, you tend to perceive spiders as bigger than they really are. This may feed your fear, and make it difficult to overcome.
It has been found that spider phobia affects 1 in 6 males and about half of all females. Participants of the study were asked to estimate the size of the spiders after each encounter. Researchers found that participants who were most afraid of spiders, also estimated the tarantulas' sizes to be largest.
