Insects are not scary, they're just disgusting, study suggests

Insects elicit a response of "strong disgust" by humans, according to a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology

According to the study – which was created by Georgia Tech and the pest control company Orkin – insects that are

"We expected to find that the study participants were afraid of pests," said Mark Beavers, an Orkin entomologist said in a statement. media release. "The reaction of the disease is actually very significant, as many of the common household pests shown in the study can contaminate food and spread disease. It's amazing how the human brain has been put to good use, and why we should be careful to keep it that way when we live, work and play. "

Researchers wanted to determine how the human brain reacts to see insects and other household pests. To do so, they used a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine to monitor the brain activity and heart rates of 12 women and eight men.

During the study, the 20 participants were shown a series of videos showing insects and animals in a variety of environments. Video clips included images of such as badroaches, bed bugs, flies and spiders, sharks, crocodiles and lions.

Each clip lasted 15 seconds. The research showed pest videos triggered a reaction with nearly every participant. Their brain insula – an area within the cerebral cortex that's badociated with disgust. Only portions of the amygdala – the part of the brain badociated with fear – were triggered by images of frightening animals.

"Insects in the home produced more in the brain than insects in the wild, especially badroaches." Said Dr. Eric Schumacher, director of Georgia Tech's Center for Advanced Brain Imaging. "Our research suggests that we may be conditioned against pests in the home, because they may be badociated with contamination or illness."

The 20 adult research participants rated their own anxiety while viewing the pest videos. The study showed 70% of participants ranking low, moderate or severe while viewing images of household pests.