Erythrophobia

Erythrophobia is a phobia of blushing. People with this conditions are often excessively fearful of blushing or concerned that they blush too much. Erythrophobia is also sometimes used to denote an excessive fear of the color red.

What is Erythrophobia?
Blushing is a reaction in the sympathetic nervous system that causes the cheeks to redden. Blushing is particularly common when people are feeling anxious, and people with social anxiety sometimes blush more frequently than other people. Because blushing is a physiological reaction that is not under conscious control, erythrophobia can be crippling. While a person with needle phobia or snake phobia might be able to avoid their fears, a person with erythrophobia is constantly faced with the prospect of blushing excessively. This can contribute to social anxiety and general nervousness. There is some correlation between erythrophobia and social anxiety, and people with diagnosed anxiety are more likely to experience erythrophobia.

What Causes Erythrophobia?
Mental health professionals are uncertain about what precisely causes erythrophobia. People who blush easily and frequently might become self-conscious about this tendency and ultimately develop a phobia. Fear of blushing could also have a genetic element, and children raised by anxious parents or parents with erythrophobia are more likely to develop the phobia themselves.

How is Erythrophobia Treated?
Like most other phobias, erythrophobia responds well to treatment. Desensitization treatment can be helpful, but establishing proper conditions for desensitization can be challenging since blushing is not under conscious control. Clinicians might instead encourage people to think about blushing or anxiety-inducing situations and gradually desensitize them to these situations. Medication, particularly anti-anxiety medication, can be helpful in some cases, particularly if the phobia interferes with a person’s ability to engage in normal daily functions. Therapy aimed at helping erythrophobics address social anxiety can also be helpful.

Reference:

1. Erythrophobia. (n.d.). Excessive Sweating. Retrieved from http://www.myexcessivesweating.com/erythrophobia.php

Last Updated: 08-7-2015