The thought of finding a spider crawling around the house might send shivers down your spine. But help is at hand, as an expert has revealed a surprisingly simple way to cure your spider phobia.

Whether it's a sudden dash across the garage or silhouette in a backyard web, spiders evoke fear in many people. But researchers don't have a clear picture of why, exactly, this phobia is so common.

Eye-tracking experiments reveal a curious contradiction: people tend to avoid looking at spiders when other creatures are present, yet striking features such as large eyes, bright colors, and webs ...