CRAWL IN THE GENES; BEAUTY REALLY DOES HATE THE BEASTIE..Byline: Gayle Ritchie WOMEN may be 'programmed' to be more scared of creepy crawlies Creepy Crawlies was a stop motion animation series created by Cosgrove Hall. The series consisted of 52 10 minute episodes which were broadcast on Children's ITV between 1987 and 1989. than men, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. research. Tests on babies found that girls less a year old learned to associate pictures of spiders with images of fearful faces more quickly than boys. Millions of years of evolution has made women more cautious about potentially deadly animals, according to Dr David Rakison of Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University, at Pittsburgh, Pa.; est. 1967 through the merger of the Carnegie Institute of Technology (founded 1900, opened 1905) and the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research (founded 1913). in Pittsburgh. He showed 10 girls and 10 boys a colour image of a spider next to a fearful cartoon face while they sat on a parent's lap. He then showed them two more images - a spider next to a happy face and a flower alongside a scared face. The girls looked at the happy face image for much longer than the scared one - evidence, Dr Rakison claims, that they expected spiders to be associated with fear. The happy image was strange to them and they were wary of it, expecting spiders to be associated with fear. He said: "The experiments show that female 11-month-olds - but not males - learn the relation between a negative facial expression facial expression, n the use of the facial muscles to communicate or to convey mood. and fear stimuli such as spiders." Previous studies have revealed that women are four times more likely than men to be scared of spiders, snakes and other creepy crawlies. Fife-based phobia phobia: see neurosis. phobia Extreme and irrational fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. A phobia is classified as a type of anxiety disorder (a neurosis), since anxiety is its chief symptom. expert Max Gordon believes there are only two fears that both men and women are born with - fear of being dropped and fear of loud noises. He is adamant any other fears are picked up from parents. Max, of Mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. , said: "Men have trained themselves to show no fear, or at least make it seem that way. "To some men, showing fear is equal to showing weakness. "I've had no male clients come to me to be cured of a spider phobia whereas there are plenty of women who have. Men feel they should act all macho and therefore would rather just deal with a spider by whacking it with a magazine than admit they fear it. "Women are more emotionally obvious, whereas men put on a front to preserve their egos. "Yes, women display greater levels of fear but it's nothing to do with being born with that. Fear is learned from parents. "As children, we trust our parents and anything they assume is scary, we take on board." Max said the most common fear in men is of flying. He said: "It's about lack of control. "The men who fear flying - and there are many of them - are the same guys who don't like to be in the passenger seat of a car. "The very fact they can't fly the plane or drive the car makes them feel even more out of control." Which of our Top 10 fears of the sexes will you admit to? WOMEN 1. Spiders 2. Snakes 3. Public speaking 4. Clowns 5. Buttons 6. Birds 7. Heights 8. Enclosed spaces 9. Darkness 10. Needles MEN 1. Flying 2. Commitment 3. Going bald 4. Impotence 5. Being criticised in public 6. Going broke 7. Rejection 8. Dogs 9. Heights 10. Snakes CAPTION(S): HYSTERICAL: Spiders can provoke extreme reactions |
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