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Koumpounophobia

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Medical condition Medical condition
Koumpounophobia
A selection of plastic and fabric buttons
SpecialtyPsychology

Koumpounophobia is the term used to describe the phobia of clothes buttons. This phobia regularly leads to feelings of fear and disgust when sufferers are exposed to buttons either visually or physically. It is estimated that less than one percent of the U.S. suffers from this phobia. The most common forms of treatment for koumpounophobia are behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Notable koumpounophobes

Steve Jobs, wearing a shirt with no buttons, holds up an iPad, which is a touchscreen tablet.

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc., had an aversion to buttons, which manifested in a dislike for buttons on computer hardware and his choice to wear a turtleneck shirts instead of shirts with buttons. Some have speculated that this influenced the trend towards touchscreens and virtual keyboards in the design of Apple devices.

Koumpounophobia in popular culture

In 2009, popular author Neil Gaiman released a promotional teaser trailer for the film Coraline, based on his novella. The trailer featured Gaiman addressing the nature of koumpounophobia and warning sufferers about the content of the film, which features characters with buttons in place of eyes.

References

  1. Russell, Julia; Lintern, Fiona; Gauntlett, Lizzie; Davies, Jamie (September 24, 2016). Cambridge International AS and A Level Psychology Coursebook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316605691 – via Google Books.
  2. Saavedra, LM, Silverman, WK, PH.D. 2002, “Case Study: Disgust and a Specific Phobia of Buttons”, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 41, Issue 11, Pages 1376-1379, accessed October 2010
  3. "Koumpounophobia | AKB". sites.psu.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  4. Clarke, Greg. "Koumpounophobia". Gregology.
  5. Anne, Jolis (22 November 2014). "Steve Jobs's button phobia has shaped the modern world". The Spectator. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  6. Wingfield, Nick (2007-07-25). "Hide the Button: Steve Jobs Has His Finger on It". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  7. "Koumpounophobia HD". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via www.youtube.com.


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