Almost none of my clothes have buttons. I avoid touching them unless absolutely necessary. The tiny click of buttons bumping against one another — a sound unnoticed by anyone else — sets my teeth on edge. But the kind that really make me want to throw up, although I never actually do, are shiny ones hanging loosely by a thread.
Truly foul. Well, consider this: were the entire population of Britain to read this article, around people would experience total recognition — one in 75, is estimated to suffer from the same peculiar aversion. First, the condition is seldom severely debilitating so goes unreported, as most of us button-phobics simply practise dedicated avoidance. My loathing of buttons is met unfailingly with initial bafflement and then hilarity.
I have yet to encounter anyone other than a therapist who has heard of koumpounophobia from the Greek koumpi for button — yes, my phobia has a recognised name. I realise the problem sounds deranged, especially its many specifics. Buttons simply disgust me. I avoid saying the word, and hearing it is unpleasant, especially the habitual pronunciation where the double-t in the middle of the word is skipped over. Indeed, many koumpounophobics report identical exceptions to the phobia.
I, like many others, have no difficulty with fabric-covered buttons, or the metal kind found on jeans, or wooden ones — as fashion designer Amanda Wakeley agrees. As a child, she wore a thick duffel coat all year round and refused to switch to her school mackintosh because while toggles were fine, the alternative was loathsome.
I am very particular. Model Poppy Delevingne is also koumpounophobic. It was no accident that he favoured poloneck sweaters and his aversion to push-button keypads on mobile phones prompted him to create the touchscreen.
For a long time, I had no idea what sparked my own phobia. I had no explanation — until I visited cognitive hypnotherapist Louise Prevost. The emotional root can be very deep. Too right, as it turned out. First we talked over my personal history at length, covering among other subjects my issues with rejection stemming from my late mother, who was unable to show me any maternal love.
Then the hypnosis began. Always aware of my surroundings, I felt profound physical peace as I was guided gradually along a mental timeline winding back to childhood… and ultimately the key episode. Aged five, I was trying to hug her in order to get one back. My head was below her chin, and my face was resting against the small, shiny buttons of her lavender-coloured cardigan.
When Louise brought me out of the hypnosis by the standard practice of counting back from ten I was no longer puzzled by the box of tissues; I was in floods of tears. But once I realized the origin of my phobia, I quit being as ashamed. Hi everybody who also dislike b……!
Thank you ever so much for sharing your feelings towards these disgusting little objects. Judy I so laughed when I read your comments, I feel exactly the same way. I also find the picture gross, and I could not eat or at least enjoy my food if there was to be a loose button on the table or the floor. It would be removed, hopefully by another person and if me, with a tissue and I certainly had to wash my hands! Ha ha… I am a Danish female, and my family loves me, But I am also the weird left handed artist with a b….
Until I found your guys comments, I thought I was a very strange case. It strikes me that some of us, feel in the same way in many aspects. I can tolerate fabric covered ones and the ones of metal, even like some of them, But if there are holes in them.. I cried and refused to wear that skirt. They asked me why!
So In that photo I sit smiling with my little brother, in just stockings and NO skirt with b…… To me it is not so much fear, as a huge GROSS feeling by the sight, special plastic ones, old ones, clear plastic ones, I so dislike. And my english boyfriend does not get it. I said, do you expect ME to handle your horrible polo shirts? He did not send the parcel. But This summer he wore polo shirts, and I preferred to sit next to him and not opposite, as I would be disturbed by the look of that disgusting sight.
He does not get it! Thank God he does not sleep in those terrifying pajamas that has huge clear plastic b…… Thats it folks… I explain to my friends, to make Them understand, that if someone would pay me Then they seem to get it… a bit!
I am also dealing with koumpounophobia, it is of my knowledge that there are also others alike but I have never truly met one with the same phobia. I have had this phobia for as long as I remember, when I was a kid my mother used to buy clothes for me but it was always with buttons which made me refuse to ever wear any such clothing. In the end she gave up buying me anymore clothes as all that she bought were of no use.
My reaction towards any interaction with buttons are always changing, possibly affected by the changes I undergo from different schools. There are times when I vomit, shed tears of disgust? Moreover being a student, I am forced to wear uniforms and I can only tolerate it if the buttons are well, buttoned-up to its best. I absolutely despise hanging collars that are unbuttoned.
Gratefully I am now slowly recovering it but I still will not buy any clothing with buttons and even if there are I will be happy enough to remove it from so. To all those facing this phobia I wish the best for you in overcoming it. Love lots from me :. I just had to look away and try to not see it. I bet there are a lot of other bizarre things that people are repulsed by.. The worst for me are loose ones on the floor with God forbid a thread in it.
I have to use a tissue to pick it up, then wash my hands. I am interested in mental health representations in the media. For my senior project, I am writing and directing a short minute film on a woman who develops a phobia of buttons.
Although I have my own personal story with mental illness, I do not have koumpounophobia. I will prepare substantial research in order to bring dignity to the subject and one of the ways in which I will be conducting research is through semi-structured interviews. These interviews will remain confidential and personal details will not be in the film itself. Please let me know if you are interested in participating or if you have any other questions. Confidentiality is ensured. Hi I am from South America, so sorry for my bad english.
I have had this phobia as long as I have memory. So do I. If I touch a button I have to wash my hands. I learned to live with this as I grew up but I never feel comfortable with buttons. The tiny ones are worse for me, and this phobia is worse on rainy days too. I feel sad for those who has anxiety because of this phobia.
It would be great if someone who can manage or could overcome this phobia share his successful case with us. Well I thought I was alone too.
My phobia mostly mild because im fine with cloth covered, pearly shaped, and metallic ones as long as the metallic ones doesnt have holes on it. I dont think my fear of buttons caused by a traumatic event, i just find them disgusting and nauseating for as long as i can remember.
In my childhood my phobia is kinda major, i gag whenever i see them, esp loose buttons and buttons laying on the ground covered in dirt, they were extremely disgusting still are. And even if i have to wear clothes with buttons on it like my school uniform , my mom used to do the buttons as i dont even want to touch it, and i always wear jumper or jacket over my shirt no matter how hot the weather is.
Now i dont immediately gag or throw up just by the sight of them, eventhough i still find them disgusting, but its better than before. And surely i still wouldnt wear clothes with buttons on it. And now that i dont have to wear uniforms, i dont even own a single shirt.
I could never date someone who wears clothes with buttons on a regular basis either. Probably should get therapy though. In retrospect, that was probably about the circular shape with four gonads looking like a button more than the jelly-ness. I wonder if other koumpounophobics have the same issue? And I cannot believe even Steve Jobs has the same phobia as me.
Even some people even has it! I just cannot believe that the success of touchscreen and button-less deisgn products is because of the fear I am having. My phobia probably arose as my grandfather was a button merchant! I remember my grandfather telling me about the Pearly Kings and Queens of the East End of London and thought he was joking he had a wicked sense of humour! I was horrified!
The most amazing thing about my story is that my four-year old daughter has also developed button phobia completely independently I have never mentioned my own phobia to her and she says they are smelly and hates them! So perhaps there is a button phobia gene…. Hi, I am suffering from this phobia. And i am Its really weird but i used to think i am alone but happy im not alone anymore.
Thanks for the information. But the picture of the article is really disturbing. Anyways I liked your article. Thank you bye. Wow hello I also thought I was the only weirdo that was disgusted by buttons in the world. I remember it being much much worse as a child. For a long time I thought I was alone : Thank goodness I only have a mild phobia. It was a little worse when I was a child, though maybe I am just thinking clearly and understanding that there is nothing to be afraid of.
It is not too hard to manage so I will not seek help from therapists. But maybe anyone has some advice to manage it better on a daily basis. Like keeping some buttons nearby and getting used to them? Or maybe that will just make everything worse?
I always hated having to wear clothes with buttons as a child, and then when old enough to buy my own clothes, I simply avoided them. My son is nearly 10 and has the same phobia, although he dislikes a lot of types of materials and fixings and therefore lives in joggers and soft T shirts.
Maybe because he has no choice. From my experience what I can tell you my phobia was really bad at that age and the amount of panic attacks I would get from being forced to wear buttons as a child would devastate me. They have both gotten better over the years.
Maybe go velcro on the school uniforms.. I can help you. I have hated buttons my whole life. I also hate the word. The worst for me is when they are decorative. There is no childhood trauma with buttons that I can think of. I cannot believe that I am not alone. Up until about two years ago I never knew anyone else hated buttons as much as I do. I cannot even pick one up off the floor. All my life I have had to wear school blouses and work shirts with buttons and have just had to deal with it.
But apart from that I will never buy or wear anything with buttons. K has hated buttons since he can remember. This means K and his fellow 0.
Formal treatments of koumpounophobia tend to focus on childhood traumas that may have precipitated it. In psychologists at Florida International University chronicled their work with a boy of nine whose antipathy dated back to when he was five, and spilled a large jar of buttons in his classroom. He remembers no button-associated childhood ordeals of his own. The latter affliction, researchers posit at the University of Essex, may be rooted in the fact that for most of human existence, before drilling and crumpets, our eyes only met clustered circles while gawping at skin rashes, mould spores and other alarming occurrences.
Buttons themselves are a relatively new-fangled thingamabob.
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