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CrowdScience

Why am I scared of bridges?

CrowdScience

BBC

Science, Technology

4.8985 Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Everyone has fears – but what makes a fear become a phobia? Why are some people scared of spiders (arachnophobia), buttons (koumpounophobia), or the colour yellow (xanthophobia)? Or why are others are scared of situations, like small spaces (claustrophobia), empty rooms (kenophobia) or heights (acrophobia)?

This is a question which has been bothering Crowdscience listener Scott, who has a phobia of bridges. He gets anxious and panicky when driving over bridges and is scared he’ll lose control of the car. It’s also a question that struck a chord with presenter Caroline Steel. She is claustrophobic, particularly in lifts, steering clear of them at all costs and even once climbing nine flights of stairs in crutches to avoid using the lift.

But where do these phobias come from and why do some people have them and not others? To investigate, Caroline speaks to experts to discover where phobias come from, why we have them and how they develop. And she visits a psychologist to learn about different types of treatment for phobias, and to receive treatment herself in the hope that one day, maybe she’ll be able to take the lift instead of the stairs.

Contributors:

Professor Paul Salkovskis, Director, Oxford Centre for Psychological Health, UK Professor Ekaterina Likhtik, Associate Professor in Biological Sciences at Hunter College, CUNY, USA Dr Andras Zsido, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, Hungary

Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Hannah Fisher Editor: Richard Collings Production Co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris

(Image: Person sitting on high up bridge. Credit: ljubaphoto / Getty Images)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of

0:07.0

Happiness Podcast.

0:08.0

For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want

0:14.4

to share that science with you.

0:16.1

And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.

0:19.4

I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that

0:25.5

calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:31.6

When was the last time you were ill lift?

0:34.0

Probably a year ago, maybe longer.

0:38.0

Cast you might back to that?

0:40.0

So where were you?

0:41.0

What was the location?

0:43.0

It was at King's College in London

0:47.2

and needed to go up to the tenth floor

0:50.0

for interviewing a scientist there.

0:52.2

And the producer I arrived with and I were already 10 minutes late.

0:55.0

And he was...

0:56.0

So you're in a hurry, so you're a bit clustered.

0:58.0

And felt basically social pressure to get in it.

1:00.0

Had you rushed to that point?

1:01.0

You're listening to Crowd Science from the BBC World Service. I'm Caroline Steele and you're sitting in on my therapy session.

1:08.0

And at that point if I'm there to ask you all, what at this moment right now, do you think is the worst thing it could happen?

...

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