People Are Sharing Their Unexpected Trypophobia Moments, And Here Are 30 Pics That Creeped Them Out
InterviewWe’ve all got our personal deep-seated fears. It can be extremely embarrassing to admit them, so I’ll go first: I’m irrationally afraid of heights and needles. And even though I can conquer my fears for short stretches of time, they still sneak up on me from time to time, especially when I least expect it. So even though I don’t have trypophobia, I can fully understand what someone suffering from it feels.
Trypophobia is the fear or disgust of closely packed holes, bumps, or patterns. When people with trypophobia see clusters of holes, they might feel queasy and uncomfortable, and can even suffer from panic attacks. Something as seemingly innocent as a strawberry or the head of a lotus seed pod might trigger their phobia. There is an entire subreddit, r/trypophobia, dedicated to “the most common phobia you’ve never heard of,” and we’re showcasing some of their most popular photos.
Be warned, though, if you do have trypophobia, these pictures might unnerve you. So, just in case, here is the link to our adorable article about tiny animals perching on fingers in case you need a palate cleanser.
Bored Panda reached out to the founder of r/trypophobia and to the UK Addiction Team Group to better understand phobias, their origins, and how we can overcome them. Be sure to read on for both insightful interviews.
This post may include affiliate links.
"The Beekeeper Forgot To Put The Frame In His Hive, So The Bees Just Freestyled, Building A Structure That Would Best Handle Temperature And Ventilation"
This one has been debunked though. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-heartshaped-honeycomb-image-is-not-what-it-seems/
The caption quote is not true. This was a partially guided arrangement a beekeeper made as a valentine gift.
Nuno Albuquerque, the Head of Treatment at the UK Addiction Treatment Group, was kind enough to go in-depth about phobias with Bored Panda.
“Phobias are among the most common anxiety disorders and are often developed following a negative or traumatic experience or in some cases, from learned or copied behavior from parents or those close to them,” Nuno said in an email interview.
This Woodpecker's Acorn Stash In A Granary Tree
They do that. It is amazing. The whole place where they live is amazing. They are called Acorn Woodpeckers. They have a whole agenda that does not include humans. But they are pretty tough, muy bravos, and are still surviving.
Ok maybe this explains it. I have red-bellied woodpeckers around here and have been feeding them. They've been taking a LOT of food this year, like super greedy nonstop and way more than any other birds. Then they stopped coming, haven't seen them for months. Did they just finally decide "alright we've got a stash to last the next three seasons. Let's chill."
Load More Replies...As far as I know I don't have trypophobia but this photo makes me feel really uneasy
Load More Replies...I have 3 different kinds of woodpeckers in my yard. My yard is a heavily wooded lot full of 150' trees and the sound of the woodpeckers is pretty awesome.
My first impulse is to run my hand over all over it, removing every last one. Sorry Woody, really, really sorry. I’m not trypophobic, but there is something, possibly innate, that makes this uncomfortable for me. Not fear, just uncomfortable.
Wild Beehive
This is absolutely beautiful. Imagine the taste of that honey! (gum trees?)
In Peru you can buy honey from bees that visit eucalyptus trees. They're not indigenous, they're raised for lumber for furniture and because the mountain people like the flavor that it gives to their smoked meats. Both are definitely an acquired taste but it doesn't taste like Vick's Vaporub. (Sorry Ms Parker)
Load More Replies...There is something very artistic about this it is probably very easy to habitable!
“If parents or people of influence have anxiety about dogs, for example, then it is more than likely a child growing up with them will also develop the same irrational reaction around dogs,” Nuno noted that we can ‘inherit’ our social circles’ phobias as we’re growing up.
"Unfortunately genetics and learned behavior can trickle into the development of other behaviors and disorders, such as substance misuse, eating disorders, or unhealthy relationships with food, as well as gaming and gambling,” Nuno, from the UKAT Group said.
Seashell Piece I Found On The Beach
I would definitely turn it into a jewelery find a nice chain maybe and wear it
Load More Replies...I hate it. I hate it I hate it I hate it. To reply to another comment - it doesn't scare me, it FREAKS me out. I want (need) to pull out all those little bits of sand. Then I need to smash the rest up. My brain thinks it some kind of pocky infection
I KNOW RIGHT! it's like not a fear it's a LOATHING. I want to destroy it
Load More Replies...I just so love looking at this and the others. I like patterns and such I guess. They make me happy and are actually calming.
Where nature puts it should stay, creepy to some maybe - I think its amazing!
I hate lotus pods or little tubes I wanna cut them off or smash them up..or m80 them an watch it decintigrate
YES..I AGREE..IVE TRIED AN TRIED TO FIND IT SO I CAN PURCHASE IT..BUT NO LUCK..IT MAKES ME WANNA TWEEZER ALL THE TINY ROCKS OUT OR FLIP IT OVER..OR PUT IT MY MOUTH AN SUCK THEM OUT THAT WAY...AN REPEAT.
Statue
The Mummy! I think it's stunning, and love how the water comes out of the holes.
A Burned Tree That Looks Like Spaghetti
Thinking of all the recent fires and how many trees suffered that!!! And poor animals as well
Load More Replies...The spaghetti look is actually caused by a growth (wood burl), which causes the grain to deform.
Thanks for the confirmation. I saw the burls that survived and wondered...
Load More Replies...Agarita aka Texas holly has yellow wood with a structure of long cells.
Load More Replies...Overcoming phobias can be incredibly challenging. However, with the right approach, support, and help, everything is possible.
"Regardless of how a phobia originates, overcoming them can be difficult but is possible. It's important to recognize if more than one person is suffering and encourage all to participate. Gradual desensitization or self-exposure to the cause is encouraged,” Nuno detailed to Bored Panda.
This Pipe Full Of Barnacles
I can't decide if this is the best or the worst comment.
Load More Replies...Looks like a lamp ray mouth. But it does explain the reduced water flow though
How do you even clean something like this or does it just get replaced?
Scrape em all out with paint scraper or something similar
Load More Replies...After A Walk Through The Snow
Shallow luke warm bath does the trick, we have a dog like this and she easily gets snow boots
Load More Replies...Have you tried coconut oil on the fur before going outside? It helps at least a bit...
South Shore Vet Clinic: "This Tick Has Been Hanging Around For Us To Show People For A While. After Months In A Sealed Container With No Additional Feeding She Laid Eggs. This Gives You An Idea Of How Long A Tick Can Be Dormant And How Many Eggs One Female Can Lay."
That's NOT the way to remove them, there's a chance they'll leave behind the head which leads to infection. Only safe way is to use a special tick removing tool where you twist them off
Load More Replies...Phew, you had me there. I could just picture you with your bra on, in the pool with the ducks eating this "caviar" with some champagne!
Load More Replies...Whenever people say "Nature is beautiful" I think "clearly you never studied parasitology!"
Load More Replies...“A more complex and long-term phobia may need similar treatment given to someone with an anxiety disorder or mental health illness; counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy or psychotherapy are all good options to explore." For help and support with anxiety disorders, you can visit this link right here.
Meanwhile, the founder of the r/trypophobia subreddit and one of its moderators, redditor It_roll, went into detail with Bored Panda about the phobia. “It’s still not understood correctly,” they said.
Carving
Is this not one of Damien Hirst's series created as if found at the bottom of the ocean?
"Child, Why Do You Scream?"
https://morbotron.com/meme/S05E11/1126691.jpg?b64lines=IHRoZSBTcGlkZXJpYW5zIGFyZQogbW9yZSBjbG9zZWx5IHJlbGF0ZWQKIHRvIG91ciBlbGVwaGFudHMgdGhhbgogb3VyIHNwaWRlcnMuICgKIGNvdWdoaW5nICk=
I Opened A Beer Yesterday To Find The Bubbles All Neatly Lined Up
I saw innocent spider eyes at first due to the just seen spider elephant stuffed aninaml.
“Some scientists say it has an evolutionary basis to stay away from poisonous or dangerous animals, some even speculate that the patterns are very similar to infectious diseases like smallpox which resulted in developing fear to stay away from them,” they speculated about the possible causes of the phobia.
According to the founder, they created the subreddit as a way to unite those redditors who have the phobia, once they became aware of the scope of the fear.
Yummy Pizza Dough
Ugh, yes! Dirty finger nails in pizza dough, thanks. Not hungry today
Load More Replies...Why are this guys hands and fingers so disgustingly dirty? I wouldn't eat anything those hands have touched.
In absolutely no way is it acceptable for this person to be handling food, which will be consumed by the public, with hands and nails that are visibly CAKED with filth.
A Skull Being Enveloped By Limestone
Actually he is the "Altamura man", discovered in October 1993 by speleologists of CARS (Centro Altamurano Ricerche Speleologiche) in the cave of Lamalunga in Altamura, Apulia, Italy.
I Ate Too Many Sour Candies, And My Tongue Decided To Shed A Layer
You already have pH 1.5 in the stomach so a few sour candies will probably not make any diffrence in that sense
Load More Replies...Wait really? This can happen? This is the only one thus far that has freaked me out.
This is pretty late but it's called tongue peeling. https://www.healthline.com/health/tongue-peeling#tongue-damage
Load More Replies...I don't find things with holes sickening to look at but your tongue shedding is a whole new level of yuck.
I had no idea! https://lanedds.com/why-does-my-tongue-peel-when-i-eat-sour-candy/
“I always found the hole patterns associated with trypophobia very creepy. Earlier, I didn't even know this fear had a name but soon on Reddit, I found many other users sharing the same fear like I had and came to know it was very common. So, I decided to create a sub where all of us users with the same fear can talk about it,” they told me about the origins of their community.
This Tomb Ceiling In Iran
Drove by, but did not stop in. It is in Qom, Iran. Was there for work in 1996. Many beautiful Mosques. Fatima Masumeh shrine I think.
Extreme Close Up Of Pin Feathers On Pigeon
They grow out to look like normal feathers. No big deal. Only problem if you have chickens is to keep other chickens from pecking them and making them bleed. I had to make little coats for molting birds because of it
Aw, Samantha knitting little coats for her chooks! Loving it.
Load More Replies...Usually this coating comes off as the birds green each other. I used to do that for our cockatiels.
I love pigeons so much but this freaks me out!! 😱 im so glad i cant see this in real life 😰
Wasps Building A Nest In Pyrex
That is really cool. Would be great for some natural math inspired art, or your own H. R Giger homage, though you would need to add more genitalia for that
I'd never cook in that again. Just throw it out and buy a new one!
Load More Replies...It's that little blob on the handle of the Pyrex lid caught my eye. Is it the granny flat?
Redditor It_roll noted that they personally remain skeptical about some approaches like exposure therapy helping one conquer one’s trypophobia. “Though I have heard exposure therapy works on some phobias like some anxiety disorders, I have doubts if it can be helpful in trypophobia, considering thousands of users see trypophobic content every day in this sub, yet neither I nor anyone else has ever said that our trypophobia was gone.”
Oh Boy
Yes! Sometimes the seeds sprout too soon. I've seen it happen with a grass seed head once.
Load More Replies...Yep, when they aren't propagating with suckers, this is how strawberries do it!
Barnacle Croc Found On The Beach
Isn't it amazing how the ocean tried to incorporate a human discard into itself!
Load More Replies...As I scrolled down I expected it to be a crocodile. This is nice too.
Just started singing "barnacle croc" to the tune of "Particle Man" by They Might Be Giants.
Suriname Toads Give Birth Out Of Their Back
This is a boss in the next Dark Souls game.
Load More Replies...I am usually not tryptophobic if but this species always makes me cringe
These toads put their eggs on their backs and a thin skin grows over them. Come hatching time there is the thinnest layer of skin between the froglets and the water. They aren't born as tadpoles but totally tiny complete frogs. That skin is shed until the next mating season when they do this all over again. One way to ensure the eggs are safe!
"Beech Orange" Mushroom
I'm glad i wasn't the only one that saw the resemblance....
Load More Replies...Don't know what it is but it looks like the others will develop in the same fashion- I frankly think their cool!
This Bread That Was Served At Dinner
I had the honor to be invited by an Ethiopian family and they served the dinner with these foamy bredlayers. It's soft and very nice, not crusty at all.
What A Great Commute
Anyone who has even seen the Final Destination trailer will get away from this truck pronto
My 4yo Daughter's Artwork. Those Red Circles Are "The Holes Where His Hair Comes Out."
Mushrooms
Lotus Root Inside A Lotus Root. Double Trypophobia
I don't find them too bad without the seeds, when the seeds are inside the holes it resembles maggot heads.
The seeds form in the seed pod, not the root/tuber, which is what is shown in the picture above. Apparently the seeds are edible - I've tried lotus root (a lot like potato) but not the seeds.
Load More Replies...Beans Left In The Microwave For A While
A WHILE? Looks like several days to a week not just overnight. Gross
If it has a heartbeat, you can't get rid of it.
Load More Replies...Some Eggs I Found In The Garden
I find it amazing how many people want to destroy nature just because its there and not known to we morons!
Amateur entomologist here. Best guess is some form of lepidoptera - butterflies and moths. 2nd guess is homoptera, which includes various leaf hoppers, or maybe hemiptera, true bugs (triangular thorax, like stink bugs).
Those look like the barrel-shaped eggs of a Harlequin Bug or some other stink bug species, but I’ve never seen that many together in such a large bunch, so I’m not confident about that identification. They do lay their eggs on the underside of leafs, and that is a dead leaf. Another possibility is the Assassin Bug, which does lay large clusters of eggs like that, but the shape doesn’t seem quite right.
Load More Replies...These look like amphian eggs, but not sure... Would love to know what they are! Do not burn amphibian eggs! Man I Love Frogs...
Is it just me or was that a refrence to the MILF post? lol
Load More Replies...This Wrinkly Mold I Found Growing In A Bowl Outside
WoW! This sure looks like it could develop into something-- edible, murderous, intellectual or self absorbing - take your pick!
Wanted A Cherry Pie For Myself So I Made This Pie For My Trypophobia Husband
Yes it's not funny to laugh with someone's fear honestly I would be very angry with her
Load More Replies...Candy Corn Pumpkin
This Glitch In Mlb Always Gets Me
Poked Holes Into Coconut Flesh, It Looks Like A Festering Knee
So I Made Some Pancakes This Morning And Got This Beauty
These Button Plants (Conophytum Wittebergense) Look Like Creepy Bloodshot Eyes
A Gathering Of Ladybugs I Stumbled Upon In The Mountains
Jabuticaba Tree Also Known As The Brazilian Grape Tree. What Makes It So Unique Is That The Fruit Grows Out Of Its Bark
It's amazing. The flavor is awesome and makes a very nice jam...
Load More Replies...The 17 Year Cicadas Are Coming Up In Maryland!
The Underside Of A Mushroom
Close Up Of Dogs Paw Pads
So I’ll Never Freeze A Carrot Now. Gross
Did the person not realize the cells full of water expand and burst?
I did not know this would happen. I actually never thought about it to be honest.
Load More Replies...This May Be The Wrong Subreddit For This But I Got My Dad A Grow Your Own Mushroom Kit For His Birthday And This Progress Pic Is Abhorrent
Reminds me of when I stepped on a sea urchin. My feet looked a lot like this.
Pineberries. White Strawberries That Taste Like Pineapple
Is it wrong that I just wouldn't eat them because they're too white?
Yes! That would be racist! It takes many colours to make fruit salad!
Load More Replies...Crochet Baby
Hey, at least it ain't those baby pastries. (sorry for reminding y'all of those in advance)
Found In Forest In Sweden, About 1m From Ground, Roughly 20cm In Size. Hard To The Touch, But Drips Liquid When Knocked
Doesn't look anything like slime mold images - they are flat, look like deltas.
Load More Replies...Water Faucet I Replaced With Calcium Deposits
Bet You Can’t Guess What This Is. Hint: It’s In A Restaurant (Not A Mushroom)
OK, so she was a little misleading about it not being a mushroom... I don't see what's so immoral about it.
Load More Replies...Mac And Cheese Pork Loaf...
My Dogs Old Outside Bed. Time To Burn It
This Gigantic Sunflower
Coins In A Tree I Passed By On A Hike
It's already dead. But I don't know why they'd do that to their money, either.
Load More Replies...To be fair, it looks like a downed tree. Some sort of good luck tradition, locally perhaps?
Thought it was wild mushrooms at first lol. I wonder how much coins are in there....
My Wife’s Jack O Lantern. My Sister In Law And Mother In Law Have Trypophobia. They Almost Cried When They Saw It
The Underside Of A Fungus I Saw Today
The Bar Of Soap In My Shower Has Me Mildly Freaked Out Lately
Some Stupid Vegetable In My Salad That Came With My Bagel. Just Give Me A Bagel Man
Capers look like miniature artichokes - tiny overlapping green leaves. This is okra; only two seeds are still whole.
Load More Replies...A Spider Nest On My Porch
It's hatched moth eggs and a moth cocoon. Research helps spread knowledge.
Load More Replies...I searched images of spider eggs and this is most like a stock image of moth eggs. The grey bundle behind them looks more like a moth cocoon made of caterpillar fur than a spider web.
Okay, you need to take off and nuke it from space. It's the only way to be sure
Found On A Beach Of Lake Erie. I’ve Lived Near The Lake My Whole Life And Never Have Seen Something Like This
Yep. Saw one in the "People Online Identified It" article...
Load More Replies...Papaya
These Boulders At The Tide Pools
This is actually really cool, fill those pockets up with little ocean-themed trinkets and resin, or maybe lights, and you have some art!
Did you see the shoe? It'd need a LOT of resin 😁😉
Load More Replies...I Didn't Know It Came In Planter Shape, Definitely Not Welcome In My House
The Way My Candle Is Melting
Found This On The Beach. Its Fascinating But Skin Crawling
Hornet's Nest
I Purged A Chemical Pump Into A Bucket And Got This
Weird Ice Formation On My Car Last Winter
Inside Of A Raspberry
Forgot the worm. I never had one without a worm and to this day I cannot eat them. I know the worms are (probably) harmless, but still icky. Same for cherries.
Wdym, you've never had one without the worm? Please explain further. Thx
Load More Replies...This Hole-Some Egg Is Here To Trigger You To Oblivion
This Tree That Woodpeckers Use To Store Their Acorns
Always did find that creepy and gross. I even like the birds, but this is a bit much.
Trypophobia Burger
Octopus. I wouldn't eat it but thats because I like octopi as living animals
Load More Replies...This Vase
Wasps Eggs In My Lemon Tree
Not what internet says. This is first step - peel off the fall to remove the larva. Then fertilize. (I didn't read how to heal the wound.)
Load More Replies...Ginger Lace Garnish I Made
This Hotel Lamp
“Turn the light off darling”. “I've already been to A&E four times, you chuffing do it!"
I Put Too Much Basil Seeds In My Water
These White Strawberries
If you grow them at home, they are white just before they finish ripening and turn red
This Rug In The House I’m Staying At
Datronia Mollis Fungi
These Creepy Barnacles
Barnacles are creepy. I remember seeing them on the rocks on the coast of Oregon. They'd move and spit water from their tiny mouths. Reminded me of parasites in someone's skin.
Just Washing A Hairbrush
This Seashell In My Art Class Almost Made Me Barf
The Way The Bubbles Formed In My Bath Yesterday
Unsettling Table In A Hotel Lobby
B E A N S
I Poured Cream Over Some Freshly Picked Blackberries And They Look Less Than Tasty
What Is This Brown Bumpy Thing On My Pringle??
very likely overcooked bit of another pringle that stuck to the machinery; unliklier, but I suppose possible is that it is part of the machinery that came off.
Our Shower Was Continuously Becoming Clogged And Would Create Standing Water. The Plumber Pulled This Out Of The Shower Pipe. It’s Hard, But A Little Soft, Almost Like Hardened Sap. It’s Light Yellow To Dark Gold. No Odor. Smooth On Sides And Bubbly On Top
This Root Cluster Pushing Up Under My Brick Pathway
That looks like many eyes on a possible potato carcass underneath.
This Horrible “Home Decor”
This Package I Received
Not Sure If This Belongs Here, But This Condensation In The Fridge Made Me Feel Uneasy
Muddy Shore
Was Just Googling Pigs In A Blanket And Found These Pull Apart Ones, And It Really Really Bothers Me
An English Crumpet
They are as delicious toasted as they are disgusting not toasted 😆
Load More Replies...Chocolate Peeled Off A Chocolate Covered Strawberry
This House's Siding
Guys Guys The Trypostation 5 Controller Was Just Revealed!
I Accidentally Left This "Organic Potato Soup" In The Pot Overnight
I Took A Bite Out Of A Cherry The Other Day...
Burnt Pepper Gravy
What Tf Is This?
Fascinating. Cedar-apple rust is possible wherever Eastern red cedars and apples or crabapples coexist. I'm surprised I never saw it as a kid growing up on a former apple orchard.
Load More Replies...These Gross Looking Flakes Of Raw Chicken Skin (Placed On My Finger For Added Effect)
It's from the legs, where the birds have scales instead of skin and feather follicles
No, no, no, no, nope. I couldn't even click on the article. *shudders* Ugh.
For those of you who made it all the way down, well done! GY3ovLw-61...c20c07.jpg
I didnt know What trypophobia was, had to google. After this article..... I think i might have trypophobia *shudders*
I definately have this! ive always had nighmares about my hands and feet being full of holes, whats the reason behind trypophobia???
I always imagined that it has something to do with us being instinctively scared of parasites. Holes in your skin are never a good thing.
Load More Replies...Omg these pictures made my feet itch so bad. Am officially nauseated for the rest of the day!
No, no, no, no, nope. I couldn't even click on the article. *shudders* Ugh.
For those of you who made it all the way down, well done! GY3ovLw-61...c20c07.jpg
I didnt know What trypophobia was, had to google. After this article..... I think i might have trypophobia *shudders*
I definately have this! ive always had nighmares about my hands and feet being full of holes, whats the reason behind trypophobia???
I always imagined that it has something to do with us being instinctively scared of parasites. Holes in your skin are never a good thing.
Load More Replies...Omg these pictures made my feet itch so bad. Am officially nauseated for the rest of the day!
