It is normal to feel scared on some occasion, this feeling is born from the survival instinct and its function is to keep us alert to any danger, However, when the fear we feel arises for no apparent reason and causes us too much discomfort, we may have a phobia. Phobias are described as irrational and exaggerated fears towards specific objects, situations or other stimuli.
There is a specific phobia that is characterized by repulsion and fear of holes and geometric figures close together: trypophobia. This irrational fear went viral on social media, and as a result, it was found to affect more people than was initially believed. In this Psychology-Online article, we will discover all the secrets of the trypophobia or fear of holes, we offer you an extensive definition, its causes and a test.
Index
- What is trypophobia or fear of holes
- Causes of trypophobia
- Trypophobia test in humans
What is trypophobia or fear of holes.
This fear classified as a
Definition of trypophobia
As we have commented previously, we define trypophobia as the fear, disgust and rejection of holes and the geometric figures very close together. Some of the figures that can cause us anxiety are found in nature and may be the following:
- A hive of bees
- A sea coral
- Holes in the skin
- Some plants like the Nile rose
Some people believe that trypophobia is a disease and that it requires specific treatment for it. However, it is difficult to diagnose it correctly since there is little research in this regard. While it is true that they have been collected clinical cases who report symptoms of trypophobia. This fear is not included as psychopathology in the DSM-V.
Symptoms of trypophobia
The most characteristic symptoms of trypophobia resemble those of most phobias already studied and categorized:
- Anxiety crisis
- Avoidance behaviors to avoid being exposed to stimuli with geometric figures close together
- Sweats
- Tremors
- Feeling of disgust and revulsion
- Dizziness and nausea
- Itching sensation throughout the body (this particular symptom is more typical of trypophobia)
Causes of Trypophobia.
It is important to comment that, despite the fact that many fears and phobias are irrational in nature or from personal traumatic experiences, trypophobia in particular has a just cause and adaptive for our species.
Origin of the phobia of holes
Its origin is from genetic nature (that is, the fear of holes can come from generations before us) and can be explained in the fact that that many of the most poisonous and dangerous animals on the planet have circular patterns on their skin to alert them to their lethality.
It is possible that our ancestors had bad experiences related to poisonous animals or plants whose skin was coated holes and, by hereditary learning, later generations would have learned to avoid and even be repulsed by these stimuli. In addition, holes in human skin are often a symptom of contagious diseases that we should stay away from. Therefore this theory could explain, for example, the itching and repulsion more characteristic of trypophobia than of any other type of irrational fear.
Despite having a adaptive origin, phobias and the consequent phobic responses are usually quite disabling for us, this is because they limit our daily activities and produce responses of resistance to objects that, in reality, do not pose any danger to our survival.
Trypophobia test in humans.
To end this article on trypophobia or fear of holes, we offer a test based on images of objects whose shapes can awaken the unconscious response so characteristic of the trypophobia. According to many studies, it is normal to experience symptoms such as itching and repulsion in this test of Trypophobia, that is because there are many people who suffer from it at a low level but are not diagnosed.
In order to detect trypophobia in humans, the following test is quite simple as well as useful. To do so, we just have to view the images that we attach at the end of the article and classify the symptoms we experience when seeing the holes in each photo.
The images are ordered from least to most intense, so if we have little trypophobia, it is possible that the first photos do not produce any symptoms. However, if our level of phobia is higher, we will experience itching and a feeling of repulsion in the initial images. What is your level of trypophobia?
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Causes and symptoms of trypophobia in humans, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
Pictures of Causes and Symptoms of Trypophobia in Humans
