Superhero movies could help your mental health.

I love the cinema. I don't really mind what genre, although I am not really into "rom-coms". But give me a good thriller, horror, comedy, sci-fi, action adventure, and I can escape into another world for a couple of hours. And these days, especially with both Marvel and DC Comics launching so many films, the Superhero genre is well and truly in our faces.

But can these films actually help us improve our mental health, Well, surprisingly, psychologists are suggesting just that.

Watching Ant-Man and Spiderman is said to help fight insect phobias. Really? I have to say I am very arachnophobic (although some will know I did hold a tarantula in my hand a couple of years ago, which was terrifying!!!), and am not sure watching Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, or Tom Holland has cured me.

It is also suggested that it shows that support networks are good. If you think of the Avengers. Then it is a team of various superheros - Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow (and others) - all coming together to defeat an enemy, working as a team.

Arts and Health Professor Victoria Tischler says: "it shows the important roles of social support and friendship in maintaining good mental health."

Clinical Psychologist Rachel Andrew also believes that superheroes' evolution into more complex characters changes fans' perceptions on coping with difficult situations.

I have to admit I have never actually thought of it like that - but I guess they are meant ton be role models, even if they are fictional.