If just looking at the honeycomb is enough to give you goosebumps, you may suffer from trypophobia.
Trypophobia, or the fear of small holes, didn’t come to the attention of scientists until 2013, but experts now estimate that 10 percent of people experience this condition.
Scientists who first identified the condition now believe the Internet could be responsible for fueling this phobia.
Researchers at the University of Essex found that people were more likely to be “trypophobic” if they had heard about the condition online or on social media.
So do you have trypophobia? Scroll down to take the test and find out.
If pictures of honeycombs give you goosebumps, you might have a condition called trypophobia. Researchers now say the Internet could be making this fear more common (file image)
In the study, researchers surveyed 283 people ages 19 to 22 who were tested to determine their levels of trypophobia.
To see if participants had the condition, they were shown images of a lotus seed pod and honeycomb, which are often said to trigger trypophobia.
Participants were then asked 17 questions from the Standard Trypophobia Questionnaire in which they rated how strongly they felt various reactions.
These include common symptoms of trypophobia such as “feeling like panicking or screaming,” “feeling nauseous or nauseous,” or “feeling like your skin crawls.”
To see if you have the same condition, try taking the test below by clicking “start” and following the on-screen instructions.
Be careful, this test contains some images that you may find distressing if you experience trypophobia.
For an alternative test, you can also find the Trypophobia Questionnaire used by the researchers at the end of this article.
The researchers tested participants by showing them pictures of a lotus seed pod like this one. Those who had heard of trypophobia were more likely to find this image distressing (stock image)
The researchers found that those who had already heard about trypophobia were more disturbed by images of holes and were more likely to be trypophobic.
Their results support the idea that trypophobia is a socially learned fear, rather than something we are born with.
Trypophobia is quite unique among psychological conditions in that it emerged very recently and appears to have first developed online.
In fact, the name “trypophobia” was invented in online chat rooms and not through any scientific research.
It is not yet a medically recognized condition, but since it was first studied in 2013 it has spread widely through news articles and online memes.
In his article, published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental PsychologyResearchers suggest that social media awareness could contribute to the spread of the disease.
Densely packed lumps or holes, like these strawberry seeds, were more distressing for women and young people who typically spend more time on social media (file image)
The researchers note that aversion to images of holes was more common among women and young people who tend to spend more time on social networks.
Additionally, 64 percent of participants had heard about the condition through social media.
Just as we need to be taught to be afraid of rats or snakes, researchers suggest that social media teaches people to be afraid of grouped holes.
However, lead researcher Dr Geoff Cole told MailOnline: “Social learning contributes, it is not the only explanation.”
Of those with trypophobia, 24 percent had never heard of the condition before.
This suggests that there may be some people who acquire this fear elsewhere, before spreading it to others through the Internet.
Researchers suggest that some people may have an innate fear of structures such as insect eyes, which they transmit to other people over the Internet (file image)
Dr Cole says: ‘They have trypophobia and then discuss it on various web forums.
‘Other people then read them and take a dislike: “Oh yeah, I’ve never thought about groups of holes before, they really are horrible to look at.”‘
Researchers have suggested three theories to explain why trypophobia might arise offline.
Dr. Cole’s original suggestion from 2013, called aposematism theory, points out the similarity between the patterns that trigger trypophobia and the patterns of dangerous animals.
The patterns of poison dart frogs, snakes, and animals like the blue-ringed octopus can trigger trypophobic responses.
This suggests that fear could be an instinctive reaction to traits common to dangerous animals.
Some researchers point out that there is a similarity between trypophobic images and the patterns of venomous creatures such as the blue-ringed octopus (archive image)
A second theory, known as the pathological theory, holds that trypophobia is caused by a similarity to skin diseases.
Decay, disease, or parasitic infections can cause densely packed holes or bumps similar to those that cause distress in people with trypophobia.
Some researchers point out that the phobia could be an evolved disposition to avoid skin diseases and other infections.
In support of this theory, some point out that responses often become much stronger when trypophobic patterns are applied digitally or with makeup to human skin.
Finally, some researchers propose an alternative suggestion called visual stress theory.
The fear of small dots and holes could be an evolutionary defense against dangerous animals that has persisted to this day (file image)
Rather than pointing to an evolutionary defense, some researchers suggest that trypophobia serves no purpose and is caused by the brain being overwhelmed by a stimulus.
When people view trypophobic images, studies show that blood rushes toward the visual processing regions of the brain and away from decision-making areas.
This could suggest that the brain simply doesn’t handle these patterns well, which is why some people feel extremely distressed when they see them.
However, if you suffer from trypophobia, there is still some hope.
Dr Cole told MailOnline that he used to experience trypophobia but is now completely desensitised to images of trypophobia after spending so much time looking at them.
Are you trypophobic? Take this test to find out
To take the Trypophobia Quiz, take a moment to look at the images of the lotus seed head and honeycomb below and then read the list of statements.
Rate each statement from one to five, with one being “not at all” and five being “extremely,” count your answers to get your trypophobia score.
For example, if you moderately agree that the images make you “want to cry,” you should give it a score of three.
Once completed, add your score for each of the questions to get your trypophobia score.
This test was developed to aid in investigation rather than diagnosis, but a score of 31 or higher is often associated with trypophobia.
test images
Scientists say the Internet is driving trypophobia, or the fear of small holes (file image)
Look at these two images and then answer the questions below. Classify each response according to the intensity with which you feel the described symptom (file image)
How intensely do you have the following reactions when looking at these images?
Looking at these photos I…
- feel scared
- Feel aversion, disgust or repulsion.
- Feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable
- Feeling like panicking or screaming
- Feeling anxious, full of dread or fear.
- Feeling sick or nauseated
- feeling nervous (for example, heart palpitations, butterflies in the stomach, sweating, etc.)
- I feel like I’m going crazy
- You feel like destroying the holes.
- feel itchy
- Feel your skin crawl
- have goosebumps
- I want to cry
- Vomit
- have chills
- You have trouble breathing
- Tremble