Causes of Phobias Can Be Complicated

Fear not, here's what the experts have to say about the factors at play.

By Carina Woudenberg
Dec 3, 2021 2:00 AM
Fear of heights
(Credit: Vilkas Vision/Shutterstock)

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

A New York woman was once so terrified of snakes that simply reading the word for the reptile would derail her into panic mode. Yet, the cause of her phobia wasn’t initially clear. “What was fascinating about it is she grew up on Long Island, which has no snakes as far as I know unless you had a pet snake,” says psychiatrist Liat Jarkon, who saw the woman as a patient several years back. “She never traveled to an area that was indigenous to snakes, she’d never been bitten, nothing.”

Eventually, the two decided her phobia stemmed from watching a movie that featured a snake. “It horrified her so much that it started her thinking, ‘what if, what if, what if,’” Jarkon says.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2023 Kalmbach Media Co.