Pogonophobia (fear of beards): causes and symptoms

One of the most outstanding trends of recent times is the beard, which has caused many men to leave it due to the aesthetic component. Some studies suggest that men with beards are seen as more attractive, and for some women it may even be a fetish. The excessive attraction to beards is called pogonofilia.

However, not everyone thinks that beards are stylish, and some individuals may even develop a disorder called “pogonophobia”, the irrational fear of beards. In this article we will review some characteristics of this pathology and we will talk about its causes, symptoms and consequences.

• Related article: “The 15 most flattering types of beards (with images)”

What is the fear of beards

The beard has been the symbol that characterizes masculinity. Over the centuries, it has represented many masculine virtues, including wisdom, strength, high social status, even sexual prowess, especially in warrior cultures. However, it also represents a phobic object.

There are many types of phobia, but few attract attention in the same way that the phobia towards facial hair, which refers to the irrational fear that some people feel towards beards

. especially towards the longest and most populated ones. This phobia was discovered in 1851, and the etymological origin of the word is found in Ancient Greece, since "pogon" means beard and "phobos" means fear. Phobias are anxiety disorders that cause anxious symptoms in the presence of bearded men.

Causes of pogonophobia

The reasons why a person may not like beards are very varied.. For example, some people associate beards with men who take little care of themselves and who can also be dirty. Other subjects link facial hair to religious fanaticism. In other cases, the beard may cause mistrust or may be seen as old-fashioned or old-fashioned.

Now, pogonophobia is a phobic disorder, and therefore a serious pathology, which usually has its origin in classical conditioning. In other words, it is an associative learning, which usually happens after a traumatic experience.

The first experiments on phobias in humans were carried out in the 1920s, when the American psychologist john b. Watson and her assistant Rosalie Rayner, caused babies to fear white rats they previously enjoyed.

• You can learn more about these studies in our article: "Classical conditioning and its most important experiments"

Other causes of this phobia

Now, the traumatic experiences that an individual suffers are not the only reason for the origin of these phobias; but observation can bring about its development. It is what is known as vicarious conditioning, when an individual observes the reactions of another person to a relevant stimulus for the subject as well as for the observer. If you want to go deeper into this topic, you can read our article: “Vicarious conditioning: how does this type of learning work?" to know more.

In addition to the learned origin of phobias, some authors affirm that they have a biological origin, and that human beings are more prone to developing these pathologies because fear is an emotion that develops through primitive and non-cognitive associations, that is, in the primitive brain and not in the neocortex, so it does not respond to logical arguments. This would explain why phobics have serious difficulties in overcoming this pathology despite knowing that they suffer from this disorder..

Beard phobia symptoms

This phobia affects the quality of life of people who suffer from it. While some pogonophobics are afraid only of mustaches, others suffer from a phobia of beards. Subjects with this phobia experience symptoms that can be cognitive, behavioral, and physical.

Cognitive symptoms include fear, anguish, confusion and lack of concentration. Subjects with pogonophobia tend to avoid the feared stimulus, which would refer to a behavioral symptom. Some of the physical symptoms are: hyperventilation, rapid pulse, sweating and tremors, nausea and vomiting, and dry mouth.

Treatment

As in the case of other phobias, pogonophobia can be treated. Psychotherapy has proven to be very effective, according to many investigations.

There are different treatments depending on the orientation of the therapist. One of the most effective is cognitive behavioral intervention, which usually includes the relaxation techniques and exposure techniques.

The objective of this last technique is to gradually expose the person to the feared stimulus, in this case the beard, until it does not cause fear or anxiety. Doing it gradually means starting treatment with exposure to stimuli that cause less discomfort, for example, seeing a photo of a person with little facial hair. The goal is to reach the most feared, for example, touching a person's bushy beard.

In this way, it is achieved that the person can verify for himself that he is not in danger when facing these situations, and little by little the fear disappears and one learns that the beard is not synonymous with danger

systematic desensitization

This technique is similar to the previous one, but the patient also learns coping strategies, for example, breathing and relaxation techniques that cause a decrease in the level of arousal. Treatment is carried out until the degree of anxiety and discomfort has completely diminished.

• Related article: “What is systematic desensitization and how does it work?”