Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTexture IssuesGerm PhobiaInhaling or Swallowing ButtonsRelated PhobiasSteve Jobs' Fear of ButtonsTreating Button Phobia

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Texture Issues

Germ Phobia

Inhaling or Swallowing Buttons

Related Phobias

Steve Jobs' Fear of Buttons

Treating Button Phobia

An estimated 12.5% of US adults experience a specific phobia at some point in their lives. Prevalence data for button phobia and other specific phobias is not readily available, however.

Here are some of the ways that koumpounophobia may manifest in different individuals.

Interestingly, most people with a texture-related fear of buttons seem to be especially afraid of plastic buttons. Metal buttons, such as those on jeans, are not a common object of fear.

Issues with certain textures are also common with a variety of disorders including those on the autism spectrum, but also occur alone.

Some people report that they are particularly afraid of old buttons. A common example is a box of buttons discovered in grandma’s old sewing room. The general belief may be that these buttons are unclean. This could be disgust masquerading as fear, or it could be related tomysophobia, the fear of germs.

In many cases, those who are afraid of old buttons have similar fears regarding old clothes in general, but this is not always true. Likewise, some people who fear old buttons are also afraid of new buttons, though to a lesser extent.

Some people are not afraid of the button itself that are afraid that they might accidentally inhale or swallow it. Small children often put objects in their noses or mouths, and loose buttons sometimes attract their attention. Phobias are sometimes, though not always, based on frightening past experiences.

If you swallowed a button or got one stuck in your nose as a child, you might be at increased risk for developing this fear. In addition, the traumatic experience need not have happened to you. If you witnessed another child in distress due to an errant button, that could be enough to trigger this fear.

Depending on its severity, button phobia sometimes extends to other objects. Some people with a fear of buttons also develop the fear of small coins, discs, and other button-sized items. Over time, an untreated fear of buttons could become life-limiting, preventing the sufferer from interacting with a wide range of common household items.

Singlehandedly, it changed the concept of a cell phone from a device that resembled a traditional telephone to a smooth rectangular block that consisted primarily of a touchscreen. If Steve Jobs had not been afraid of buttons, would iPhones and tablets exist today?

Like all phobias, koumpounophobia responds well to a variety of treatment methods.Brief therapy methods, such ascognitive-behavioral therapy, can often treat simple phobias in just a few sessions.

If you are a loved one of someone who struggles with this or any phobia, it’s important to have empathy and not dismiss stigmatize their anxiety, even if it is difficult for you to personally understand.

Your therapist will work with you to design anindividualized treatment planbased on your specific needs. This may also includeexposure therapy, which involves exposing you to the source of your fear but in a safe therapeutic environment. Although a button phobia can have far-reaching impacts on your daily life, with professional help and hard work it can be overcome.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Harvard Medical School, 2007. National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). (2017, August 21). Retrieved fromhttps://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/index.php.Davey GC.Disgust: the disease-avoidance emotion and its dysfunctions.Philos Trans R Soc Lond, B, Biol Sci. 2011;366(1583):3453-65. doi:10.1098%2Frstb.2011.0039Cascio CJ, Moana-filho EJ, Guest S, et al.Perceptual and neural response to affective tactile texture stimulation in adults with autism spectrum disorders.Autism Res. 2012;5(4):231-44. doi:10.1002/aur.1224Mckay D.Treating disgust reactions in contamination-based obsessive-compulsive disorder.J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2006;37(1):53-9. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2005.09.005Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem. 2017;24(9):462-471. doi:10.1101%2Flm.044115.116Wingfield N.Hide the button: steve jobs has his finger on it. WSJ. July 2007.

Harvard Medical School, 2007. National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). (2017, August 21). Retrieved fromhttps://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/index.php.

Davey GC.Disgust: the disease-avoidance emotion and its dysfunctions.Philos Trans R Soc Lond, B, Biol Sci. 2011;366(1583):3453-65. doi:10.1098%2Frstb.2011.0039

Cascio CJ, Moana-filho EJ, Guest S, et al.Perceptual and neural response to affective tactile texture stimulation in adults with autism spectrum disorders.Autism Res. 2012;5(4):231-44. doi:10.1002/aur.1224

Mckay D.Treating disgust reactions in contamination-based obsessive-compulsive disorder.J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2006;37(1):53-9. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2005.09.005

Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem. 2017;24(9):462-471. doi:10.1101%2Flm.044115.116

Wingfield N.Hide the button: steve jobs has his finger on it. WSJ. July 2007.

Davey GCL. Disgust: The Disease-avoidance Emotion and Its Dysfunctions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2011;366(1583):3453-3465. doi:10.1098/rstb.2011.0039.

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