You know that feeling when you can’t stop looking at something terrifying? Like when you know that spider in the corner isn’t going to leap across the room and attack you, but your brain’s like, “Yeah, but what if…?” Well, turns out, that’s not just you being dramatic.

In our recent study published in Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, we used eye-tracking to see how people with phobias—think spiders, snakes, and pointy things—deal with visual distractions. Spoiler: they don’t deal with them well.

What We Found:

• Can’t Look Away: If you’re terrified of something, your brain has a serious problem letting go of it. Phobic folks take longer to stop staring at whatever’s freaking them out—like, way longer. But here’s the kicker: they even struggle with boring, neutral stuff. So that plant over there? Just as hard to ignore as the eight-legged nightmare lurking nearby.
• The Lookalike Effect: If a picture sort of looks like the thing you’re scared of (say, a fuzzy ball that could kinda be a spider), your brain still freaks out. It’s like your mind can’t even handle things that resemble your fear. Very mature, brain.
• Attention Control? What Attention Control?: Basically, people with phobias are terrible at ignoring stuff, even when it’s not a threat. And when it comes to actual threats, well, let’s just say “move along” isn’t a command their brain understands.

This study gives us a deeper understanding of why phobias are so pesky. It’s not just about being scared—it’s about your brain throwing a tantrum and refusing to let go of anything remotely scary. So, if you’ve ever wondered why you can’t stop staring at that harmless daddy longlegs in the corner, now you know: your brain is kind of a jerk.