# Trypophobia, i.e., Fear of Clustered Holes **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498 "2008-12-17T01:44:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![spoike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@spoike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spoike)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/21 "2008-12-17T03:20:01Z")
I had no idea this was an actual phobia until today. I just thought it was a weird little quirk of mine, which I guess it is, but others apparently have it too, so at least I’m not the only one. For me, the issue is that the multiple holes look like insect nests. One hole (like **pbbth’s** last link) doesn’t freak me out at all. Most of the time my phobia is pretty under control, but after reading so many posts about it today, I’m completely on edge. So much so that even the phrase “clustered holes” is freaking me out. I’m going to go do some nice calming laundry. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/22 "2008-12-17T03:25:15Z")
**clairobscur** : I didn’t mean to imply it’s why others may be bothered by them but I think it’s the ultimate source of my own anxiety. > [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Just curious. What’s the least severe deformity that wouldn’t bother you. If you see someone who has been burned or has scars, would it freak you out so much that it would be obvious and hurtful to them? Or are you able to control it enough to deal with these types of situations? When you’re strolling along in your office or the mall or wherever, what happens when you see someone with a deformity? Are you stressed out in general wondering “what if?” Is it always in the background? Sorry to pry, but just wondering how you are able to get through the day sometimes. Do you avoid hospitals? God, I’m nosy! My issue with deformities is more of a uneasy pity, and is nowhere near as strong as my aversion to the other things I’ve mentioned in this thread so I hide it. I’ve also been exposed to it my entire life due to my younger sister having severe cerebral palsy and a host of associated birth defects, many of which were obvious to the naked eye before corrective surgery, so it’s something I’ve come to terms with, to a degree. That said, I never become blind to it; only innured. ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/23 "2008-12-17T03:39:31Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Ever since I was a kid, I have had an aversion to things with tightly packed circles in or on them, the classic example being a honeycomb or wasp’s nest. I get very uneasy when they are in my presence, and in the case of the latter, I am not satisfied unless they are destroyed with extreme prejudice. Other things that remind me of that pattern also sicken me, and even mentioning mumps, measles, chicken pox, boils, hives, or even severe acne is enough to make me itchy, sick to my stomach, and even sometimes break out in hives. Out of curiosity, do you have an aversion to bubble wrap? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/24 "2008-12-17T03:43:37Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > **clairobscur** : I didn’t mean to imply it’s why others may be bothered by them but I think it’s the ultimate source of my own anxiety. Yes, but this phobia is so peculiar that I would assume its origin would probably be the same for all, or at least most, of us. That’s why I’m doubtful. My guess would be that you happen to have two unrelated anxieties and assume a relation between them that don’t exist (my guess unless a majority of “Trypophobics” share the same death/decaying things anxiety…and even then, this anxiety is so common that I probably still would be doubtful) ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/25 "2008-12-17T03:46:29Z")
I have no particular issue with dead/decaying things, unless they somehow have a cluster pattern associated with them. Deformed people/animals also do not particularly bother me. I am usually okay with bubble wrap, although after reading through this thread and spending a lot of time focusing on this topic today, I’m kind of sensitized to it and even bubble wrap is slightly pinging my skeeve-o-meter. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/26 "2008-12-17T03:50:45Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I am usually okay with bubble wrap, although after reading through this thread and spending a lot of time focusing on this topic today, I’m kind of sensitized to it and even bubble wrap is slightly pinging my skeeve-o-meter. I disliked the turkey picture and even reacted negatively to the mention of hard drive partitions in another thread. If we keep on discussing the issue, everything will end up looking like a hole pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/27 "2008-12-17T03:50:49Z")
I could be wrong about the link between the two issues and that the death/decay/deformity thing doesn’t bother me to anywhere near the same extent does lend some credence to that. I suppose I should I leave the psychoanalyzation to the professionals or at least those that actually know anything at all about it, which I don’t. > [@Mbossa](#): > > Out of curiosity, do you have an aversion to bubble wrap? No. I also like Honeycomb cereal. I contain multitudes. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/28 "2008-12-17T04:37:26Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I also like Honeycomb cereal. Definitely another trypophobe, here. I like that cereal, too, but I can’t stand to look at it. Real honeycomb, forget it. Even the pattern of holes in the drain fixtures of certain sinks makes me feel all oogy. ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/29 "2008-12-17T04:39:53Z")
Thanks for starting this thread, Aesiron. I wanted to talk about this but didn’t want to hijack that Pit thread any further. In [my post there](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10579344&postcount=216) I linked to a site where people gave examples and variations of clusters and holes that squick them out. Apparently a search on Flickr will give you lots of visual examples too (though I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart). I think I have a little of it, but I go weak at very specific types of clustered holes. I don’t freak out when I look at honeycombs, barnacles or lotus roots (although that lotus boob pic had me scratching at my own breasts for a while). Bubbles on the edge of pancakes do it for me. I have a very visceral reaction to the soft, spongy surface and the texture patterns formed by the clusters of tiny holes. It makes my hair stand on end. Personally, as squicky as it is, I also find it fascinating and I’ve been trying to figure out why one and not the other. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/30 "2008-12-17T04:47:37Z")
That trypophobia thing must really suck. I feel bad for you. Here, have a [pomegranate](http://www.producepedia.com/images/commodity/pomegranate.jpg). :::snicker::: ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/31 "2008-12-17T04:52:40Z")
I love pomegranates. Tomatoes, too. Not everything triggers it. ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/32 "2008-12-17T05:33:14Z")
OK, total trypophobe here as well. I still have the shivers from the pics. I don’t have any images to share, but one thing that always gave me the creeps was [Nerf](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerf), close up. All the holes in the foam really disturbed me, but I never knew why until now! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/33 "2008-12-17T05:39:11Z")
How do y’all do with things like [spider’s eyes](http://img1.eyefetch.com/p/kt/452561-56281789-0da4-481e-941a-0e0d56aa1ebd.jpg)? Warning: linked image possibly highly objectionable to most people in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Viridiana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Viridiana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viridiana)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/34 "2008-12-17T06:20:33Z")
I’m pretty sure I have this - the lotus boob, the surinam toad, larvae in hives, fruit with holes eaten in it…even the sight of my own shredded fingertips after I’ve been in hot water too long, or those little grates in an public bathroom floor when some of the holes have crap or dust collecting in them - those all squick me out terribly. Itchy, creepy, uncomfortable - definitely. However, I tend to seek out these experiences nonetheless, and actually kind of like the freaked-out feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/35 "2008-12-17T06:39:38Z")
I’m not sure if this is exactly what I have, but it is a very close cousin, anyway. I haven’t clicked on any of those pictures because I know that you can’t unsee things at this point. We got a wasp nest out from under our shed a couple of years ago, and it had wasp eggs/larva in the bunch of cells - I did not like looking at that. And yes, the response is “Oh, I really don’t like that, and I don’t know why” and “must destroy.” So, how do all y’all do with those nose pore cleaning strips, when they have their little forest of blackhead contents on them? Eeeee. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/36 "2008-12-17T07:30:36Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > How do y’all do with things like [spider’s eyes](http://img1.eyefetch.com/p/kt/452561-56281789-0da4-481e-941a-0e0d56aa1ebd.jpg)? > > Warning: linked image possibly highly objectionable to most people in this thread. See, those don’t bother me because they’re not holes; they’re filled in completely with eyes. Does that make any sense? ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/37 "2008-12-17T07:34:51Z")
I also just looked at the lotus pod breast. I was afraid it would totally freak me out, but (to me) it looked so fake that it didn’t bother me. I actually wanted to squeeze it until those things just oozed out and then everything would be fine. Ok, now I have officially disgusted myself. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/38 "2008-12-17T11:42:55Z")
I thought your “fear” was a little weird but decided to step back on it… I have a “fear” (well, not fear, more like they make me kinda nauseous and shuddery… Like I want to vomit but can’t) of cotton balls. Well, not “cotton balls” per se, but rather things of that… well… don’t know how to word it. Things like wool sweaters, hats, blankets… Cotton balls themselves seem to trigger it readily and I’m around them often enough at work where they get to me. Just thinking of it has made my skin kinda crawl. Ugh. Anyway. There are things that are just as strange or stranger things to fear. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/39 "2008-12-17T12:23:01Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Ever since I was a kid, I have had an aversion to things with tightly packed circles in or on them, the classic example being a honeycomb or wasp’s nest. I get very uneasy when they are in my presence, and in the case of the latter, I am not satisfied unless they are destroyed with extreme prejudice. Other things that remind me of that pattern also sicken me, and even mentioning mumps, measles, chicken pox, boils, hives, or even severe acne is enough to make me itchy, sick to my stomach, and even sometimes break out in hives. > > I’ve mentioned this to various people over the years, and without exception, everyone’s found it weird. I’ve never met anyone else who’s felt the same way about little clusters of circles or hemispheres, and some people, like my friend Rebecca, enjoy poking at it by mentioning hives in conversation and watching me squirm. I found out today, though, that I’m not alone in my condition, and that it’s apparently common enough to have its own name - [trypophobia](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Trypophobia&start=10&sa=N). > > I discovered this through a hijack in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=497698) in the Pit where someone linked to the Snopes article on the [NSFW link removed by Moderator]. I was already well-acquainted with the thing, having been linked to it years ago, and it’s haunted my nightmares ever since. I am not exaggerating at all when I say that I cannot think of anything more disgusting, and if Hell existed, my body or those I was forced to interact with would be covered in those holes and bumps. Apparently, plenty of other people share the same aversion, and the thread is full of people freaking out over it. > > Who else is trypophobic? I removed the third link for being NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498/40 "2008-12-17T14:30:50Z")
Hey, nice to know it’s not just me and it has a name. While the lotus pod doesn’t bother me that much, some of the items described in this thread are making my skin crawl and my gorge rise. (And while I usually can’t resist clicking “don’t click this” links, I’m staying awaaaaaay from the lotus boob. Even the verbal references are making me practically retch here.) Some horrible, horrible memories from my childhood: The outer walls of the grocery store we went to were finished with pebbles set in cement. It freaked me out to walk by them - I always thought they looked like some giant bug’s egg sac or something. Speaking of that, I believe it was _3-2-1 Contact_ that showed an extreme closeup of a mother insect with a mass of eggs on her back - I swear, I’m about to vomit just thinking of it. Barnacles. Yeeech. OK I have to stop talking about this stuff before I hurl. Oh one more - a science textbook that had lung cells or something on the cover. I lived in fear of that thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trypophobia-i-e-fear-of-clustered-holes/477498.md?page=3)