7. Trypophobia: Disease
The jury's still out on whether trypophobia is actually a phobia or not, but it's definitely pretty vomit inducing. Trypophobia is essentially the fear of clusters of holes and repeating patterns. It doesn't sound all that scary when you write it down but take a look at things like
this and
this (trigger warning for anyone who knows they find this stuff gross), then see how you feel. If that freaked you out, then you're not alone. It is thought that the repulsion to clustering holes and repeating patterns (particularly in natural forms) is our body trying to keep us safe from disease, decay, infections, parasites and even things such as poisonous plants. It could also stem from our aversion to insects such as bees and wasps, as hives and honeycomb tend to take on those natural, repeating forms. Granted, since the internet got hold of the idea, people have been gleefully posting pictures that are overtly related to horrific, and often fictitious, diseases, posting doctored images such as
this and
this (warning:
gross) and gleefully crowing about their trypophobia. However, despite tumblr's latest Special Snowflake Bandwagon campaign for trypophobia, there's no denying that there's a tiny, primal part of your brain that just wants to kill it all with fire.
