Phunny phobias
If you met someone who was afraid of paper or wax statues, wouldn't you tell them to stop being so ridiculous and get over it? Every Monday, Null editor Hayley hand-picks another bizarre phobia and tries to work out whether it's real or rubbish.
This week:
Xanthophobia: fear of the colour yellow
What's so scary about it?
If anything I'd have said there's something quite pleasing about it. When I first saw the word "xanthophobia", I thought - me being the biology geek that I am - oh, that must be the fear of the yellow. And it was. Because, you see, xanthophyll is the yellow pigment in plants. So it figures. Okay, maybe it's just me...
What do the scientists say about it?
Well, interestingly, sea turtles suffer from xanthophobia more than humans do. In the delightfully named paper, Voice of the Sea Turtle, Kelly Samek describes the plight of the loggerhead sea turtle, which has an aversion light in the yellow part of the spectrum. These little guys prefer to be bathed in blue and green light. Less garish.
Hayley says:
"Speaking on behalf of the turtle... Real."
So far: Real 7½ Rubbish 8½
Find phunny phobias from other weeks here.
Null's other regular features:
Tuesday: Nutty Nomenclature
Wednesday: Doctor Doctor
Thursday: Peculiar Periodicals
Friday: End of week timewasters
Erratically: The World in Brief
Image: Alexandre Caliman
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