What is trypophobia?

Trypophobia (trip-uh-FOE-bee-uh) is an aversion or repulsion to objects like honeycombs and sponges that have repetitive patterns or clusters of small holes.

People with trypophobia are disgusted by the pattern of holes. They don’t necessarily have a fear of holes.

What are trypophobia triggers?

A person is more likely to have an adverse reaction to a holey object or image the closer they are to it. Trypophobia triggers may include:

• Bread and bagels with seeds.
• Cheese with holes.
• Fruits with small seeds like strawberries, raspberries, papaya and kiwi.
• Honeycombs, sunflowers and lotus seed pods.
• Insects and bees.
• Skin on snakes, lizards, frogs and other reptiles.
• Soles of shoes.
• Sponges.

How common is trypophobia?

Some studies suggest that as many as 17% of children and adults (about one in six people) have some degree of trypophobia. It’s a fairly new disorder first named in 2005.

More people became aware of trypophobia after news stories reported that people reacted negatively to clusters of tiny camera lenses on certain smartphones. In addition, the TV show “American Horror Story: Cult” featured a character who had trypophobia. The show included triggering images that repulsed some viewers and increased awareness of the phobia.

What causes trypophobia?

Experts don’t know why some people develop trypophobia. One theory is that the brain associates clusters of holes with danger. For example, you may associate a pattern of small holes with the skin of a venomous snake or the eyes of a tarantula. Or the holes may remind you of skin diseases or skin rashes.

Another theory is that your brain uses more energy and oxygen to process holey patterns, triggering feelings of distress. It may also be a feature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).