Phobias: our deepest fears explained

by Sara Pipa

Snakes. Airplanes. Needles. No matter what you fear, you’re likely not alone. About 19 million Americans say they suffer from one or more phobias, according to experts at Johns Hopkins.

The term phobia, a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation, was first used to describe ‘fear’ or ‘terror’ long ago by ancient Greeks. The first written reference to phobic issues was in 450 B.C. in the works of the ancient philosopher Hippocrates, but it wasn’t until 1895 that it was considered a distinct mental illness, courtesy of Sigmund Freud, who found research supporting the idea.

Phobias can develop early in childhood, but the fears are frequently seen for the first time in high school, between the ages 15 and 20. While phobias affect both men and women equally, psychologists say more men seek treatment for their phobias.

Jonah Touchstone (‘24) has a phobia known as myrmecophobia. This phobia is the overwhelming fear of ants.

“Those things sent me to the hospital when I was little,” he said.

Another student had a similar experience, but instead of a fear of ants, she has a fear of spiders.

“I’m afraid of spiders in general, but it all started when I found a giant bug on my leg. They bite and it hurts, and they have way too many legs,” said senior Marissa Ashe.

Phobias can stem from a variety of sources. Experts say, past incidents and trauma are one of the main origins of phobias, like Touchstone’s story. For example, if you were bit by a dog when you were younger, you may end up developing cynophobia–the overwhelming fear of dogs. Another main reason people establish phobias is from learned responses. For example you might have parents or guardians who are very worried or anxious, and this may affect how you cope with anxiety in later life. You might develop the same specific phobia as a parent or older sibling–if they have a severe reaction to something they fear, this might influence you to feel the same way.

Some of the most common phobias include claustrophobia–the irrational fear of confined spaces, arachnophobia–the irrational fear of spiders, and acrophobia–the irrational fear of heights, along with many more.

There is actually a scientific reasoning behind phobias–how they work, and how they come to exist. Heidi Moawad, MD explains how phobias are correlated with major alterations in neurological activity.

In an article titled “Phobias and Brain Activity,” Moawad says, “Individuals who suffer from phobias have been shown to display increased activity of the amygdala when exposed to phobia-inducing stimuli, noted on functional MRI. The amygdala is known to be associated with emotional reactions. One observation is that the right amygdala is more highly reactive in response to negative emotions, such as those associated with phobias, while the left amygdala is more strongly associated with pleasant emotional reactions. Interestingly, one study suggested that the higher the activation of the right amygdala, the greater the sense of distress induced by the phobia trigger.” they used just doesn’t make sense on the burger. The flavors were confusing and overall didn’t taste the best. The tater tots were really bland, too.

While phobias can have a tight grip on some people and occasionally even stop them from participating in certain activities, there are some strategies to help people cope with their phobias. A helpful website that provides help for people with mental health problems called Psycom.net lists methods to assist in managing people’s fears. Therapist and author Sherry Amatenstein suggests sitting with your fear for 2-3 minutes at a time, writing down things you’re grateful for, as well as exercising and using humor to deflate your fears.

Similarly, the bacon mac burger didn’t meet expectations, the mac and cheese was very bland and didn’t taste right on a burger.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed my sidewinder fries– they were seasoned well and cooked perfectly and tasted great with the TWF sauce.

If you end up trying this new restaurant, go with an open mind to new flavors, and make sure to try a milkshake to wash down those tasty fries.

I will give credit to TWF for taking a leap of faith with these out of the box flavors that some may like, but the two that we tried didn’t quite hit the spot–if you’re a picky eater, you may be out of luck with their burger options.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at TWF Burgers, but I didn’t enjoy the food as much as the atmosphere.

Review: Olive’s Mud Puddle

by Georgia Cox and John Frick

Starbucks is one of the largest coffee chains in the world, but is it really the best coffee that the world has to offer?

Olive’s Mud Puddle is a small, local coffee shop in Fort Mill, S.C. located on Main Street. It’s not a chain, and it’s not Starbucks, but that might be a good thing.

Its small environment is more welcoming and comfortable than any Starbucks. It has comfortable seating, even chairs and couches, and they play quiet music. It’s a good, calming place to study or work. Starbucks is usually loud, crowded with people standing around waiting to get their drinks and leaving, or taking up uncomfortable chairs. At Olive’s, customers can actually sit down and focus instead of being distracted by all of the people surrounding them.

The coffee is better, too. Lots of drinks that come from Starbucks, such as something simple like an iced vanilla latte, lack the actual coffee flavor. They’re overly sweetened by creamers and milk. Olive’s iced vanilla latte has a much better balance between the bitter flavor of coffee and the sweetness of vanilla and sugar.

When comparing prices, a Starbucks iced vanilla latte is $5.94, while one from Olive’s is $4.65. Not only is Olive’s cheaper, but it is better coffee as well. Their money also goes to support a local business, one that is an active member of the community, instead of a corporate chain.

Overall, we would give Olive’s Mud Puddle 5/5 stars, and Starbucks 3/5 stars.

When given the choice between Starbucks and a local coffee shop, choose local.