{"id":121419,"date":"2025-04-10T08:31:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T01:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/?p=121419"},"modified":"2025-04-10T08:31:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T01:31:45","slug":"the-fear-you-didnt-know-you-had-until-you-saw-this-trypophobia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplymeblog.com\/the-fear-you-didnt-know-you-had-until-you-saw-this-trypophobia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fear You Didn\u2019t Know You Had \u2013 Until You Saw This… Trypophobia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trypphobia is the fear or disgust of seeing round holes. People with this disorder feel uncomfortable when looking at surfaces with small holes clustered together. For example, the top of a lotus seed or the stem of a strawberry can cause discomfort in people with this syndrome. Currently, research on trypophobia is still limited and is not recognized as a psychological disorder.\n

1. “Just Holes” or a Deep Psychological Fear? What Is Trypophobia Really?\n

Does seeing a honeycomb, a sponge, or a soap bubble make you shiver, feel scared, or… You may have Trypophobia, or the fear of holes.\n

The name of this syndrome comes from the Greek words “trypta” meaning hole and “phobos” meaning fear. But the term does not date back to ancient Greece. “Trypophobia” first appeared on a web forum in 2005.\n

Trypophobia is one of many fears of harmless things, such as fear of small round holes, fear of hair, or fear of small things. People with trypophobia have strong physical and emotional reactions whenever they see patterns made of holes or spots. The larger the cluster of circles, the more uncomfortable they feel.\n

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Researchers disagree about whether trypophobia should be classified as a true phobia. A 2013 book on trypophobia suggested that the phobia may be an extension of a biological fear of harmful things. Researchers found that symptoms were triggered by high-contrast colors in a certain graphic arrangement. They suggested that people with trypophobia subconsciously associate harmless objects, such as lotus seed pods, with dangerous animals, such as the blue-ringed octopus.\n

Another book on trypophobia published in April 2017 raised the issue. Researchers surveyed preschoolers to determine whether the fear of seeing images with small holes was based on a fear of dangerous animals or a response to visual features. Their results showed that people who experience trypophobia do not have an unconscious fear of venomous creatures. Instead, the fear is triggered by the creature’s presence.\n

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-5) does not recognize trypophobia as an official phobia. More research is needed to understand the full scope of trypophobia and what causes it.\n

Trypophobia is more common in women than men. In one study, about 25% of people with trypophobia also had a relative with the condition.\n

A 2017 study on trypophobia found a possible link between trypophobia and major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). According to the researchers, people with trypophobia were more likely to also have major depressive disorder or GAD. Another study published in 2016 also noted a link between social anxiety and trypophobia.\n

Some people with trypophobia may also have other mental health disorders, such as:\n