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DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COMC
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K
BY AGATA BOXE
fear goes hand in hand with her mistrust
of medicine and faith in alternative treat-
ments like herbs and reflexology. We’ve
argued countless times over her advice
to treat my ailments, like acid reflux, by
gobbling up mustard seeds or applying
pressure to the bottom of my foot.
Though I’ve managed to rebel against
these beliefs, the familial fears have held
on tight — so much that I’ve often pon-
dered whether my phobia could actually
be genetic.
Cameron Randall, a clinical psycholo-
gist at the University of Washington School
of Dentistry in Seattle, had similar musings
about a phobia’s roots. He’s researched the
causes of odontophobia, or fear of the
dentist, and in 2016 published a study of
the condition in Community Dentistry
and Oral Epidemiology. Randall and his
team examined over 1,300 people who
also had family members participating in
the study. The volunteers took a survey to
rate their dental fear and fear of pain. The
researchers also took and analyzed samples
of the participants’ DNA. Ultimately, they
found that genes bore about 30 percent
of the responsibility for odontophobia.
(Meanwhile, the same study found that
34 percent of fear of pain could be tied
to genetics.) The other 70 percent, the
authors concluded, was likely linked to
Phobia’s
Fa milia l Roots
Your relatives might be to blame
for some specific fears.
As the students calmly watched from their seats, I gripped
the lectern, secretly fighting waves of panic, while ver-
tigo made my vision swirl and my stomach queasy. Somehow,
words still came out of my mouth — words that were part of my
lecture on vaccinations. As a college health and science writ-
ing instructor, I discuss vaccines every semester in an attempt
to debunk the fallacy that they cause autism. But despite my
regular speeches on the topic, they inevitably trigger a panic
attack like the one I was currently battling in the classroom.
See, vaccines involve needles. And since childhood, I’ve had
needle phobia. Even thinking about them sends me spiraling
into a private hell inside my mind, while my body gives way to
symptoms like heart palpitations and even fainting.
Years of struggling with my extreme reactions had left me
wondering: Where did my phobia come from? And could I
ever get over it?
THE ROOTS OF FEAR
Just like me, about 9 percent of adults in the U.S. lived with
a specific phobia in the last year. That includes some of my
family members: my needle-phobic sister and my mother, who
is terrified of doctors, hospitals and medical exams. My mom’s
The degree
to which
phobias
can be
inherited
varies
wildly,
depending
on the fear.
O
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MIND OVER MATTER