Koumpounophobia

{{Short description|Medical condition}} {{Infobox medical condition | name = | synonym = | image_size = | alt = | caption = A selection of plastic and fabric buttons | pronounce = | specialty = Psychiatry | symptoms = }} '''Koumpounophobia''' (from Modern Greek κουμπώνω (''koumpóno''), meaning "to button", and Ancient Greek φόβος (''phóbos''), meaning "fear") is the term used to describe the phobia of clothes' buttons.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TRziDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT150|title=Cambridge International AS and A Level Psychology Coursebook|first1=Julia|last1=Russell|first2=Fiona|last2=Lintern|first3=Lizzie|last3=Gauntlett|first4=Jamie|last4=Davies|date=September 24, 2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781316605691}}</ref> This phobia regularly leads to feelings of fear and disgust when sufferers are exposed to buttons either visually or physically.<ref>Saavedra, LM, Silverman, WK, PH.D. 2002, “Case Study: Disgust and a Specific Phobia of Buttons”, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 41, Issue 11, Pages 1376-1379, accessed October 2010</ref> It is estimated that less than one percent of the U.S. has this phobia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sites.psu.edu/akb13/tag/koumpounophobia/|title=Koumpounophobia {{!}} AKB|website=sites.psu.edu|access-date=2020-01-05|archive-date=2020-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422030112/https://sites.psu.edu/akb13/tag/koumpounophobia/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Notable koumpounophobes == thumb|Steve Jobs, wearing a shirt with no buttons, holds up an iPad, which is a touchscreen tablet. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc., had an aversion to buttons, which manifested in a dislike for buttons on computer hardware and his choice to wear a turtleneck shirts instead of shirts with buttons. Some have speculated that this influenced the trend towards touchscreens and virtual keyboards in the design of Apple devices.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Anne |first1=Jolis |title=Steve Jobs's button phobia has shaped the modern world |journal=The Spectator |date=22 November 2014 |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/steve-jobs-s-button-phobia-has-shaped-the-modern-world |access-date=2 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="Wingfield 2007">{{cite web | last=Wingfield | first=Nick | title=Hide the Button: Steve Jobs Has His Finger on It | website=WSJ | date=2007-07-25 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118532502435077009 | access-date=2022-10-28}}</ref>

== Koumpounophobia in popular culture == In 2009, popular author Neil Gaiman released a promotional teaser trailer for the film ''Coraline'', based on his novella.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQC0QVXa33o |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/vQC0QVXa33o |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Koumpounophobia HD|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The trailer featured Gaiman addressing the nature of koumpounophobia and warning sufferers about the content of the film, which features characters with buttons in place of eyes.

== References ==

Category:Phobias