HOLEY MOLEY!

There are phobias for almost everything. From buttons, to beards, to going outside, us humans can be terrified of all sorts – and the latest craze dominating phobia-based forums involves people photoshopping pictures of holes onto everyday objects.

It’s known as trypophobia and, if you have a cursory Google, you’ll find the sorts of images that will put you off your lunch.

But is it real? And why are some people so afraid of what is essentially a hole?

Also, why is everyone posting stuff about it online?

The word trypophobia comes from the Greek ‘trypo’ which means ‘hole,’ and ‘phobos’, meaning ‘fear’ – so trypophobia is as simple as it sounds – a fear