Trypophobia, an Unusual Fear of Holes

TEMPO.CO, Essex- A new study has discovered another bizarre phobia in humans called trypophobia, which is a fear of holes. This may sound ridiculous to some, yet those who suffer from it have tend to feel panicked or ill at the sight of holes.

TEMPO.CO, Essex - A new study has discovered another bizarre phobia in humans called trypophobia, which is a fear of holes. This may sound ridiculous to some, yet those who suffer from it have tend to feel panicked or ill at the sight 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.

Although many people have complained about this fear on the Internet, or maybe some have heard friends or loved ones who experienced this fear, few studies have actually investigated the phenomenon. In one study, Cole and his colleagues found that 16 percent of participants showed signs of trypophobia.

Through various studies, Cole discovered that this fear covers hole clusters such as soap bubbles, frothy beverages, beehives, aerated chocolate or any other visual image that portrays certain types of hole clusters. Upon seeing these sights, those who suffer from trypophobia can be hit with migraines, panic attacks, hot flashes, or rapid beating of the heart.

One trypophobic participant provided a clue to understanding the strong aversion to certain hole patterns by revealing that he had the same negative reaction to seeing a blue-ringed octopus, one of the world's most poisonous animals. After conducting a few follow up tests, Cole and his team concluded that a trypophobic reaction to clusters of holes may be a side effect of an evolutionary adaptation to avoid poisonous animals, reportsLivescience.

Unfortunately, despite all these recent findings, the phobia is not recognized as a disorder by the recently updated mental health manual, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

To see how deep in the psyche trypophobia might be, Cole's team is now studying how images of everyday objects, such as watches, can be manipulated to make people prefer them more or less.

The study was detailed in the journal Psychological Science.

LIVESCIENCE | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI

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