![fear of clusters fear of clusters](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2018/01/07/09/trypophobia.jpg)
While many people feel uncomfortable looking at these images, those with a phobia have an exaggerated response. The researchers suggest that during evolution, specific patterns became a rapid identifying feature for danger, in the form of poisonous animals. The blue-ringed octopus, box jellyfish, the Brazilian wandering spider, death stalker scorpion, inland Taipan snake, king cobra, marbled cone snail, poison dart frog, puffer fish and the stone fish all possess a pattern or body shape similar to that in the trypophobic images. The researchers also examined images of potentially dangerous animals and showed that they too could be trypophobic. Results show that 18% of the women and 11% of the men had an aversion to the image they found it uncomfortable or repulsive. Examples of objects that might trigger a fear response include seed pods or a close-up image of someone's pores.
![fear of clusters fear of clusters](https://image.slideserve.com/581086/learned-fear17-l.jpg)
![fear of clusters fear of clusters](https://healthsci.mcmaster.ca/images/default-source/news/groups/education/departments/medicine/demystifying-medicine/trypophobia.jpg)
When people see this type of cluster, they experience symptoms of disgust or fear. It was chosen because it was found to be the most often reported trigger for the phobia. Trypophobia is an aversion or fear of clusters of small holes, bumps, or patterns. They exposed 300 men and women aged 18 to 55 to an image of the seedhead of the lotus flower. In the study, researchers carried out a number of experiments with different images to estimate the prevalence of trypophobia.