Introduction

Bananaphobia refers to the intense and irrational fear of bananas. The word is drawn from ‘banana’, the elongated and edible fruit that comes in different colours, but most commonly yellow, and ‘Phobos’ a Greek word meaning fear. 

People suffering from bananaphobia might experience anything from slight discomfort to panic attacks when exposed to bananas, in any form. While some people’s fear is triggered by the appearance of a banana or its peel, others may feel distressed by its smell, texture, or taste. 

Regardless of the seemingly bizarre nature of the fear, it is important to understand the genuine distress experienced by anyone around you who has bananaphobia. The fear, anxiety, and discomfort associated with any phobia, no matter how uncommon or random it seems, should not be dismissed or treated lightly. In this article, we’ll explore the nature of bananaphobia, its signs and symptoms, the possible causes of its development, and how it can be managed. Read on to find out more about this unique fear. 

Understanding bananaphobia

Characteristics

Though not classified officially as such, bananaphobia can be categorised as a specific phobia. According to the International Classification of Diseases, a specific phobia is an intense and irrational fear of an object, activity, or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder, characterised by the feeling of fear and anxiety experienced on encountering what the person fears. 

A phobia is not the same as a fear. Fear is a natural and routine emotion that arises when we face a threatening or dangerous situation, to help us face or escape it. A phobia, conversely, is an excessive and irrational fear directed at a specific stimulus, such as an object or situation. This stimulus that causes fear and distress is called a phobic stimulus. In the case of a bananaphobia, the banana, which is the phobic stimulus, is not perceived as dangerous or threatening by anyone except people who have the phobia. 

A person with a specific phobia such as bananaphobia may: 

• Have an intense, unrealistic, and persistent fear of the phobic stimulus, object, or situation
• Try persistently to avoid the phobic stimulus or face it with distress
• Recognise the fear as excessive and unreasonable, even though they experience it 
• Face difficulties in their daily functioning as a result of their phobia 

Common triggers

A person with bananaphobia’s fear response can be triggered by: 

• The appearance of bananas, including aspects such as the colour of ripe or overripe bananas, the colour of a banana peel or spots on it
• The sound of a banana, especially of it being chewed and eaten
• The smell of bananas, according to the experience of a person with bananaphobia, tends to be intensified over other odours and scents due to the individual’s distaste for it
• The texture and taste of bananas, especially the soft or mushy flesh of ripe bananas, as well as smaller mashed or cut-up pieces in other foods, can be triggering as well
• As with many other phobias, the mention of bananas can cause discomfort and distress in individuals as well

Causes of bananaphobia

The causes of specific phobias can be explained by different approaches and schools of thought in psychology. Most commonly, the cause of phobias is attributed to learning, a concept introduced by the behavioural school of psychology. This school of psychology focuses on the response of an individual to a stimulus (i.e., an object, or situation), and how different factors shape it. 

In this context, learning refers to the psychological process of acquiring new behaviours or responses. Learning can occur in three ways, particularly in the context of phobias: 

1. Classical Conditioning: refers to a repeated association between a neutral stimulus (like bananas) and a fearful or stressful situation.¹ People with bananaphobia may have had adverse or distressing experiences related to bananas in their childhood, such as:
   • Being force-fed bananas as a child
   • Injuries associated with bananas, choking on the fruit, slipping on the peel, etc. 

2. Operant Conditioning: The concept of operant conditioning is based on the idea that the consequence of a behaviour will determine if a person will repeat it. Thus, a negative result will make a person avoid a behaviour while a positive consequence will make them repeat it. This is known as reinforcement. In the case of phobias, a negative result (unpleasant taste or smell of bananas while eating them) causes a person to stop showing those behaviours (such as eating a banana). A positive consequence ( reduction of distress and anxiety on not eating anything with bananas) will cause the person to repeat behaviours that will avoid the negative consequence.² 

3. Modelling: also known as observational learning, refers to the process of learning through which a person learns behaviours by observing the experiences of others.¹ For example, if you see a sibling or friend experience severe allergies, choke, or fall sick after eating a banana, you might develop a fear of it. 

Symptoms of bananaphobia

The symptoms of bananaphobia, like most phobias can be physiological, emotional and behavioural. 

Physiological symptoms

These are the symptoms related to changes in the body, such as:

• Increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest
• Sweating, hot or cold flushes, pallor (blood rushing from the body)
• Dizziness, feeling faint, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting 
• Panic attacks, in extreme cases

Psychological/Emotional symptoms

These are the symptoms related to the emotions or thoughts you feel, such as: 

• Intense, persistent, and unreasonable fear and anxiety
• Feelings of disgust, discomfort, and distress
• Feelings of anger, frustration, or annoyance 
• Racing thoughts, feelings of threat or danger

Behavioural symptoms

These are the symptoms related to external behaviours in response to the stimuli, such as: 

• Excessive avoidance of the stimulus, such as not eating bananas or foods with bananas or their flavour
• Avoiding situations in which other individuals are eating or consuming bananas 

Diagnosis and treatment

Owing to the relative rarity of bananaphobia as a disorder, the exact duration and intensity of symptoms are still unknown. However, in counselling and diagnostic contexts, the treatment of bananaphobia is similar to other phobias. The techniques used most commonly in the treatment of specific phobias are: 

1. Exposure Therapy: Specific phobias are most commonly treated using exposure therapy. The principle behind this form of therapy is slowly exposing a patient to their phobic stimulus alongside guided relaxation can reduce the distress and fear. Exposure therapy can involve either in-vivo (or real-life) exposure or stimulated exposure through virtual reality or computer-aided vicarious exposure.³

2. Systematic Desensitisation: Developed by Wolpe, systematic desensitisation uses the principle of reciprocal inhibition. According to this principle, a person cannot be in a state of both fear and relaxation at the same time, without one state or emotion overpowering the other. Systematic desensitisation occurs in three phases: 

• Relaxation: Where the patient is taught relaxation techniques that they can use to calm their fear and anxiety 
• Construction of a fear hierarchy: The therapist and the client will construct a hierarchy of fear together for the phobic object, from least to most distressing. In the case of bananaphobia, this can range from the thought of eating a banana to actually eating a banana. 
• Desensitisation Proper: The therapist exposes the client to the stimuli according to their fear hierarchy while helping them practice the relation techniques.³ 

3. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is used with other therapeutic forms, such as exposure therapy, to address the irrational and unreasonable thoughts that guide fear responses to specific stimuli. It involves the identification of irrational thought patterns and replacing them with healthier and rational ones. 

4. Medication: In severe cases where managing the anxiety caused by the phobia is intense or unbearable, a licenced psychiatrist can prescribe medication. 

Summary

Bananaphobia, the intense fear of bananas, at first reference, might seem like an absurd or random phobia to have. However, a specific phobia is a persistent and intense fear of stimuli that don’t necessarily pose a threat or danger, and need not be rational. A phobia like bananaphobia can develop as a result of faulty learning through conditioning and observational learning through past traumatic experiences. It can manifest as the experience of distress and discomfort related to the appearance, smell, taste, sound texture, etc. of bananas. 

Like every phobia, bananaphobia too can be managed in a therapeutic setting using various clinical interventions.