IF THE sight of a giant hairy spider has you trembling with fear, you will be surprised to learn that the cure may be a dose of the stress hormone cortisol.
Dominique de Quervain and colleagues at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, gave either cortisol or its precursor, cortisone, to volunteers with arachnophobia or phobias linked to social situations. A control group received a placebo. An hour later, the intrepid volunteers were confronted with a picture of a spider or given a public-speaking assignment. Their anxiety levels were measured both by heart rate and, subjectively, by asking them how they…
