Button Phobia

Dinomania · 3 Apr 2006 at 14:52

Discovered this the other day - apparently it's a fairly common phobia.

Well less of a phobia, more of an extremely intense disgust of buttons. Independently, those who suffer from this come up with really similar conclusions:

* the thought of touching one is like touching a cockroach, truly disgusting
* they're bad enough on shirts, but when handing from a thread or bereft of shirt altogether, they're even worse
* the worst kind are the little shiny white ones with holes in them
* there's no problem with the metal kind of riveted buttons you get on jeans

Why?!

Babies and children seem to have this fear from birth, or a very young age. It generally isn't associated with any button-trauma. This has truly interested me - does anyone here suffer from this, or know someone who does?

Malenko · 3 Apr 2006 at 14:54

How peculiar.

Could imagine life been very difficult for sufferers

cleanbluesky · 3 Apr 2006 at 14:55

Perhaps, I know someone who claims they dislike buttons - i have never been sympathetic to this though because I don't see how someone can dislike buttons

Raymond Lin · 3 Apr 2006 at 14:56

One of my mate doesn't like buttons, he's ok with them on shirts and clothes but not when it are on its own. I've known him for 15 years and only found out last September ! So at Christmas pub crawl I bought a bag of buttons, gave them to all the lads and through out the evening we leave them around the table in pubs and sneak a few in his pocket

He just flicks them away.

Sic · 3 Apr 2006 at 14:57

i've never heard of that. it would certainly explain why i'm crap at undoing jeans on another person...that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

Zero5 · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:01

sara said:
Why?!

Babies and children seem to have this fear from birth, or a very young age. It generally isn't associated with any button-trauma. This has truly interested me - does anyone here suffer from this, or know someone who does?

I can't for the life of me imagine what a button based trauma would be.

Zefan · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:05

I understand this. They're squeaky and horrible. Imagine rubbing one against a cloth and hearing the squeak

Gilly · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:09

I've never heard of this and can't work it out.

Red and White · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:11

ive heard of it but dont get how it could happen,

unless as a child someone tried to make you eat a bowl of them or summit

shimy182 · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:13

i have a ( kind of ) phobia from spotty things... like marks on giraffs backs.
i dont mind looking at them but it kind of gives me goose bumps thinking of them....

Dinomania · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:14

Description: http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1762971

Experiences: http://www.unusualphobias.com/buttons.html

A couple years ago I tried to face my fear, so I drove to a clothing store 3 hours away (to avoid bad association with any of my favorite stores in case it went badly) and it's a good thing... I went in the store, and after about an hour I was able to put the shirt on, but barely got the first button done before I threw it on the floor and ran away.

Buttons are so disgusting to me that I don't even want to get help for my problem if it includes handling them.

Kell_ee001 · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:17

My sister used to chase me with my mothers button box when I was young.

LMAO

AJUK · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:19

Nutjobs, all of 'em.

Red and White · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:26

shimy182 said:
i have a ( kind of ) phobia from spotty things... like marks on giraffs backs.
i dont mind looking at them but it kind of gives me goose bumps thinking of them....

sorry

Wzd · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:29

Shame it wasnt a Post Button phobia

Gilly · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:41

What a bunch of freaks :/

ChroniC · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:44

Gilly said:
What a bunch of freaks :/

i do wonder how people are capable of being so irrationally stupid sometimes.
OCD's, fear of the inanimate objects or pathetic animals, how weakminded can you get. fools

PeterNem · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:45

Gilly said:
What a bunch of freaks :/

Harsh, but fair.

What an odd thing to be affraid of.

Red and White · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:46

ChroniC said:
i do wonder how people are capable of being so irrationally stupid sometimes.
OCD's, fear of the inanimate objects, or pathetic animals, how weakminded can you get. fools

thats a bit narrowminded

some of those are genuine mental illnesses and could happen to anyone including you and your uber strong mind

benjo plz. · 3 Apr 2006 at 15:47

Two strange ones I've heard of are some guy who was scared of heinz baked bean cans and a girl who was scared of bananas

.