Trypophobia is an aversion to holes and similar textures, with an obvious evolutionary explanation in its suggestion of the cruelty and regularity of infection. But the science is as weak as the memes are strong. Is trypophobia a social contagion?
…trypophobia is more powerful when holes are shown on skin than on non-animal objects like rocks. The disgust is greater when holes are superimposed on faces. … On one of the two main trypophobia Facebook groups, one user explains their own love–hate relationship with trypophobic material:
“Since I realized I wasn’t alone I tried to desensitize myself to the images that affect me horribly. In trying to do that i came across a YouTube video of a vet clinic in Gambia. Now I’ve become obsessed with watching their videos of a specific condition. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m obsessed; it’s one of the first things I watch when I wake up. I have to watch it several times throughout the day.”
Another writes: “I almost feel drawn to look at the images of it because maybe my brain is telling me that if I look at it enough it will stop bothering me.”
