A biologist and a psychologist give us the facts about the spider and arachnophobia.
Be prepared for an uninvited guest to visit this summer. Whether you find this news welcoming or frightening depends on how you feel about 鈥� spiders.
The Joro spider, a species native to East Asia that can grow up to eight inches long, is already in the United States and is making its way to the Northeast.
If you’re interested in arachnids, the Joro鈥檚 impending arrival is something to be excited about. But if you鈥檙e one of the many people who fear even itsy-bitsy spiders, you鈥檙e probably freaking out at the thought of running into one.
Joro Facts From an Adelphi Expert
The media is sounding the alarm about how we鈥檒l be invaded by giant, flying spiders. But this isn鈥檛 necessarily true.
The Joro is big, as mentioned earlier, but 鈥済iant鈥� is pushing the envelope. The species isn鈥檛 the size of fictional spiders like Shelob (The Lord of the Rings) or Aragog (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). It doesn鈥檛 actually fly but moves through the air on silk threads that catch air currents. (Joros can also hitch rides on vehicles.) And we won鈥檛 be getting an Arachnophobia-worthy amount of them by any means.
Perhaps most reassuring of all, the species, according to experts, is not harmful to humans and is not out to get us.
Matthias Foellmer, PhD, is Adelphi鈥檚 鈥淪pider-Man,鈥� so to speak鈥攁 professor of biology who is 鈥渇ascinated by spiders,鈥� as he notes on his .
He explained that while the Joro is non-native, 鈥渋t does not appear to be invasive, but rather is in the process of becoming naturalized. Orb-weaving spiders rarely, if ever, compete over food and are typically not abundant enough to threaten prey species.鈥�
That means, unlike our recent nemeses, the lanternfly and the brown marmorated stink bug, the Joro is not expected to have a negative impact on native organisms. And while we were told to kill invasive insects on sight, there鈥檚 no call to do the same to Joros. In fact, Dr. Foellmer suggests we view the Joro as our ally in the bug battle. 鈥淚f anything, it鈥檒l catch at least some of the bugs you don鈥檛 like, like lanternflies and mosquitoes,鈥� he said.
If you see a Joro outside, leave it alone, he advised. What if one comes inside? 鈥淚’d be surprised if one would ever come into your house, but should you encounter one inside, gently push it into a jar and release it outside,鈥� he said.
He added, 鈥淭hey are beautiful! View it like a pretty flower.鈥�
Tips for Joro Phobia From an Adelphi Expert
If you鈥檙e still not swayed, you鈥檙e not alone. Joel Weinberger, PhD, a clinical and research psychologist and professor at the 麻豆直播 Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, has studied phobias and the unconscious mind for about 20 years and has published on the subjects.
鈥淎 phobia is an intense, irrational fear of an object or type of experience that is disproportionate to the actual danger posed and can cause significant distress and impairment in daily functioning,鈥� he said, adding that arachnophobia鈥攆ear of spiders鈥攊s one of the top 10 phobias people experience, and, 鈥淢ost people are uncomfortable around spiders even if they don鈥檛 have a full-blown phobia.鈥�
Arachnophobia isn鈥檛 entirely irrational; there is a biological/evolutionary component, he explained. Since some species of spiders can be harmful to humans, our ancestors who avoided all species were more likely to survive than those who took a chance and did not.
If you encounter a Joro and have a phobia, 鈥測ou will freak out,鈥� he said. He advised that if the phobia affects your daily life鈥攆or example, you鈥檙e afraid to go outside for fear of running into a spider鈥攑sychological treatment can help.聽Exposure therapy is the most effective. As it sounds, the patient is gradually and systematically exposed to the feared object鈥攔eal, virtual or an image鈥攊n a controlled and safe environment, thereby helping you confront and reduce your fear and anxiety over time.
A Matter of Perspective
In , after Wilbur the pig first meets Charlotte A. Cavatica, the spider who would save his life, he asks himself: 鈥淐harlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, bloodthirsty鈥攅verything I don’t like. How can I learn to like her, even though she is pretty and, of course, clever?鈥�
If you鈥檙e asking yourself the same question, consider the benefits of spiders to our ecosystem. As Charlotte says, 鈥�…do you realize that if I didn鈥檛 catch bugs and eat them, bugs would increase and multiply and get so numerous that they鈥檇 destroy the earth, wipe out everything?鈥�
Or as Billie Eilish, who worked with live tarantulas in her and has one for a pet, said (as reported in ), 鈥淭hey鈥檙e fun. They鈥檙e not gonna hurt you. They鈥檙e cool.鈥�