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Why the iPhone 11 is making people with trypophobia experience panic and revulsion

Do you have it?

Tperry
By TperrySep 19, 2019
Tperry
Tod Perry is a freelance writer from Long Beach, California.
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When the iPhone 11 debuted on September 10, it was met with less enthusiasm than the usual iPhone release. A lot of techies are holding off purchasing the latest gadget until Apple releases a phone with 5G technology.

Major US phone carriers have yet to build out the infrastructure necessary to provide a consistent 5G experience, so Apple didn't feel it necessary to integrate the technology into its latest iPhone.

A dramatic new feature on the iPhone 11 Pro is its three camera lenses. The three lenses give users the the original wide, plus ultrawide and telephoto options.

"With these three cameras you have incredible creative control," said Apple's Phil Schiller during the stage presentation. "It is so pro, you're going to love using it."

But not everybody's a huge fan of the arrangement of the three lenses. In fact, for those with Trypophobia, the cameras create an intense feeling of fear and anxiety.

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People with trypophobia may become physically ill, experience an increased heart rate, or have a deep feeling of disgust upon seeing a close cluster of holes or bumps. Sponges, bubbling pancake batter or honey comb cells are all known to trigger people with Trypophobia.

Sometimes just thinking about trypophobia-inducing images can trigger someone.

The following images could probably make a trypophobic lose their lunch.


Trypophobia isn't listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the diagnostic guide for mental disorders recognized by professional psychologists, but it has been looked into by scientists.

In 2013, researchers suggested that the revulsion is caused by an innate aversion to dangerous animals. Many poisonous animals, including the blue-ringed octopus, inland taipan snake, box jellyfish, and poison dart frog have markings that are repulsive to those with trypophobia.

Other researchers suggest that trypophobia is a fear of human disease. Infectious diseases such as smallpox and scarlet fever create trypophobia-inducing patterns. This could be a warning mechanism to stop the spread of terminal diseases.

Countless trypophobic Twitter users shared their thoughts about the new phone after its release.

tryptophobiaiPhoneAppleiphone 11 tryptophobia

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