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Fear of Yellow
Other Phobias

Xanthophobia – The Fear of Yellow Color

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The Fear of Yellow? Yellow Is a Dominant Color that Scares Some People

Yellow is easy to spot even from a distance. That’s why school buses, stoplights, and signs make use of this eye-catching color.

Surprisingly, some people are scared of this cheerful hue. Are you one of them? If you not only dread the yellow color but also experience unimaginable anxiety when you see it, you may have xanthophobia.

As strange as it may seem, the fear of yellow is real. It may be hard trying to explain to someone why you hate yellow. What can you do about recovery? Let’s explore the causes and possible treatments for the fear of yellow.

Quick Fact: Did you know yellow is the most visible color in the daytime?

What Is Xanthophobia or the Fear of Yellow?

What is the fear of yellow called? Xanthophobia is a specific color phobia. It is derived from two words: the Greek word xantho, meaning yellow, and phobos, meaning fear. Xanthophobia should not be confused with chromophobia (also spelled as or chromatophobia or chrematophobia), which is the irrational fear of colors. A person with the phobia of the yellow color is better known as a xanthophobe. They have an extreme fear of yellow, which goes beyond minor discomfort or disgust.

The fear of the color yellow can be frustrating. While other phobias, like animal phobias, are well understood, xanthophobia has not been given much attention in the medical field. Xanthophobes thus suffer in silence from one of the least talked about phobias.

Xanthophobes will take pains to stay away from anything yellow. Some balk at riding a yellow school bus or taxi. They may be terrified of a certain Beatles album that features a yellow submarine. Others avoid food like cheese, mustard, bananas, or lemons for the same reason.

When a xanthophobe encounters anything yellow-tinted, they might close their eyes in panic. Some of them may start to hyperventilate at merely reading the word “yellow” or hearing someone mention this innocent-looking shade. What percentage of people have Xanthophobia? There’s no conclusive information on the number of people who have this rare phobia. One source claims that about 5 to 10 percent of people have chromatophobia (general fear of colors).

Xanthophobia Causes

Researchers have not yet identified one particular cause for phobia. Instead, a combination of factors could lead to dreading the color yellow. Medical professionals accept that phobias are caused by both internal predispositions like genetics or external events like trauma. Let’s look at these in detail.

Traumatic Experiences

Do you have a painful or unpleasant memory that involved something yellow? For instance, you may have been stung by a yellow-bodied wasp. Perhaps you were abused or bullied by a person who always wore yellow. You could also have been hit by a yellow bus or truck. Or you may have experienced severe food poisoning after eating something yellow like curry or cheese. This unhappy experience is a significant contributor to phobia. Long after this incident, anything yellow may remind you of that moment.

Genetics

Ask your parents or grandparents if there is a history of phobias in your family. The tendency to get phobias can be passed down from one generation to the next. In addition, if there is a history of social anxiety disorders or mental illness in your family, you are at a higher risk of developing xanthophobia.

Media

Sometimes this fear is brought about by the popular media. You may have read a creepy book like The King in Yellow or watched a movie about a murderous clown wearing a yellow suit. These make-believe stories can give you a negative impression of this color.

Diseases

Yellow is associated with contagious diseases or serious illnesses. Patients are often described as having a sallow or sickly yellow complexion. This is especially true for people with hepatitis, a liver ailment that can be fatal if untreated. Parents get alarmed when their newborns get jaundice.

Social Conditioning

Colors are neutral, but we soon learn to associate particular shades with specific meanings. In some cultures, yellow is associated with cowardice, jealousy, or deception. Since it’s highly visible, yellow is used for crime scene tape or biohazard signs. Because of this, many associate yellow with danger and death. Do you remember any incident where the color yellow was not appreciated in your home? Children may also pick up from their families of origin that yellow is an undesirable color. No matter the cause, this phobia can have an impact on your life and health.

Xanthophobia Symptoms

Phobias have plenty of visible and hidden symptoms in common. The severity of these symptoms varies per individual. Also, a xanthophobe may not experience all of these signs.

Physical Symptoms

  • Increased heart rate
  • Sweating
  • Hot flashes
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Shaking and trembling
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Chest pains
  • Numbness

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Obsession over anything yellow
  • Expecting something terrible to happen when you encounter yellow
  • Panic attacks
  • Chronic anxiety
  • Avoiding anything yellow
  • Lack of concentration

Self-Help Tips for Xanthophobia

There’s no pill available yet for xanthophobia treatment. But don’t fret. There are plenty of techniques that will help manage these symptoms and contribute to your general well-being. Here are some strategies you can practice at home:

Unlearn Negative Ideas

You need to let go of any social conditioning or beliefs that consider yellow as bad or dangerous. Instead, replace them with the positive aspects of this shade. Some of the positive associations with yellow are happiness, energy, sunlight, and youth.

Apply Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques include controlled breathing and meditation. Before leaving your home, breathe in and out as many times as necessary until you feel relaxed. Controlled breathing calms you down especially during panic attacks.

Talk with Someone

They say that a problem shared is half solved. Find someone who you can open up to about this phobia. It could be a close friend or a family member. Ask this person to listen to you and try to understand without judgement.

Professional Treatment for Xanthophobia

If DIY techniques aren’t effective, here are some methods you can explore with a licensed therapist.

Exposure Therapy

This is an effective intervention where you’re exposed to the thing you dread. Over time, you learn to manage symptoms in a controlled environment. Gradually, you’ll be asked to touch yellow, wear yellow, or eat yellow. A professional health expert will walk you through the journey.

Group Therapy

Instead of having one listener, you’ll share your phobia experiences in a group setting. Group members have the same problem as you do. Group recovery is beneficial. For starters, you’ll get tips that have worked for others which you can apply in your situation. You can learn a lot from those who have already made steps toward recovery. Also, there’s nothing like meeting those who can relate to having an overwhelming fear of the color yellow.

How to Cope Altogether

Unfortunately, less than half of phobia sufferers seek treatment for this condition. If you wish to overcome xanthophobia, you need to take action. Be prepared to try numerous treatment methods until you find the combination that will work for you. At the same time, the best thing you can offer yourself is kindness and patience. Phobia treatment is a long-term process. If you start to feel discouraged, remind yourself that you are in control of your life—not your phobia.

Conclusion

A phobia is as big as you make it. All fears are in the mind. If you can win the battle in your mind, then you have conquered everything that seeks to alter your normal functioning. While treatment may not always eliminate xanthophobia, it can help you cope and lead a more fulfilled life. Soon, you can eat that slice of lemon pie without fear of the color yellow.

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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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