Neophobia

The fear of trying

what is Neophobia?

Neophobia is a type of phobia that was commonly addressed to the fear of trying new food “ Food neophobia”, Animals such as Rats are considered “Natural neophobic”, As a result of an absence of their gag reflex when being exposed to unfamiliar food that might be toxic.

An experiment was run on lab Rats, where they were put in an enclosed environment and were offered blueberry bars which were an unfamiliar snack to Wild Rats.

At first, the Rats showed signs of Neophobia and refused to eat, but after a short period of time they consumed a small portion of 200-300 mg, consequently, the Rats classified the food as “Non-harmful” and doubled their second intake. ¹

Illustration and data figure rights to " Mike Swank “(12).

We’re just like Rats.

Humans share the same neophobic characteristics with Rats, neophobia signs are often found in 50%-75% of children within the development stage, Which explains the picky eating in children, however, the phobia will likely disappear after the age of 6, although, some people carry neophobic traits for the rest of their lives.²

Neophobia isn’t just a food-exclusive Phobia.

Neophobia isn’t just about food, It carries its way to different aspects of our life, and in some cases, it could change the way how we treat opportunities in life such as trying out a new activity or making new connections with people.

Have you ever felt stressed or unable to do that one thing you´ve planned on doing for months?

So had I,

I’ve been thinking about writing my first article for over a year and I wasn´t doing any WRITING! , my action of not taking any action was my brain´s method of keeping me away from doing a new activity that my brain considers “ dangerous” because it's unfamiliar.

How To Overcome Neophobia?

Rats are great teachers on how to get through this issue, their strategy was to try unfamiliar food in small quantities, and if the food was harmless they doubled their portions, same for humans, we expose ourselves to small doses of fear in a controlled environment (Exposure therapy).

Take for example this article, I wasn´t actually going to write it because whenever I see a blank page on my laptop’s screen I immediately turn off my laptop and never think about it again, I tried to figure out how to overcome this issue, firstly, I started to write short paragraphs (Small doses) Then having someone to review it (Controlled environment).

This strategy is implementable for a wide range of things, such as Business, when you want to invest you don’t go all in, You enter with little cash at the beginning (Small doses), and if it goes well, you gradually increase your investing cash flow, If it didn’t go as planned, You back away with unmentionable losses (Controlled environment).

Lastly, This is just my opinion about this topic, and there might be a piece of inaccurate information, feel free to express your thoughts and opinions below.

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NOTE :

People with severe Neophobia symptoms such as shortness of breath, high blood pressure, and nausea should consult a doctor and shouldn’t neglect it for any reason!

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Resources :

1. J. David Sweatt, Mechanisms of Memory (Second Edition), Chapter 4 - Rodent -Behavioral Learning and Memory Models, Pages 76-103,

2010, Academic Press,(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123749512000044)

2. Terence M. Dovey, Paul A. Staples, E. Leigh Gibson, Jason C.G. Halford, Food neophobia and ‘picky/fussy’ eating in children: A review, Appetite Volume 50, Issues 2–3 2008 / Pages 181-193,

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666307003716)