Fear of holes: new research in to most common phobia you’ve never heard of
The New Zealand Herald:
Does the sight of bubbles, crumpets and aerated chocolate freak you out?
New research hints at the cause of this unusual phobia that makes people panic at the sight of a cluster of holes.
Trypophobia is “the most common phobia you have never heard of,” said study researcher Geoff Cole, a psychologist at the University of Essex, in England, who suffers from the fear himself.
The fear – which can cause symptoms like migraines, panic attacks, hot sweats and a racing heart – may steam from a visual resemblance to poisonous animals, Live Science reports.
The fear hasn’t been investigated very deeply but a study by Cole and his colleagues found that 16 per cent of participants showed signs of trypophobia.
In his new study, one sufferer described the reaction to hole clusters: “[I] can’t really face small, irregularly or asymmetrically placed holes, they make me like, throw up in my mouth, cry a little bit, and shake all over, deeply.”
Read the whole story: The New Zealand Herald
APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines.
Please login with your APS account to comment.