For many, party balloons are often associated with positive life events. They are the ever-present set pieces decorating our birthdays, wedding receptions and other celebrations. However, for a small number of people party balloons are the source of extreme anxiety and fear. Rather than joy, they bring dread.

Such individuals may be suffering from globophobia.

Globophobia derives its name from Latin and Greek:

🟢 Globo — From the Latin word globos, meaning spherical in shape
😱 Phobia- From the Greek word phobos, meaning fear

At a surface level it may seem as though globophobia is a relatively harmless fear. After all, it’s pretty rare for someone to be significantly injured by a party balloon and they’re not that common in our day-to-day lives (unless you’re in the party decoration business).

However, in an article published in the British Medical Journal¹, globophobia has been identified as a condition that can potentially require psychological intervention. The reason?

Well, party balloons are the ever-present set pieces decorating our birthdays, wedding receptions and other celebrations…

The Social Implications of Globophobia

With some phobias individuals are able to engineer their world to avoid the triggering stimuli. For example, with aerophobia (the fear of flying) it may be possible to take alternative modes of transport to avoid the need to travel by air.

However, for those with globophobia it can be challenging to engineer an environment that is balloon-free.

Balloons are inherently connected with important social events and so to avoid one means avoiding the other. For example, it’s certainly possible to avoid going to a family member’s wedding reception or to not attend a friend’s graduation party. However, the social implications for doing so can be severe.

Compounding the problem is that it can be difficult for individuals with globophobia to talk about their aversion due to concerns around being judged. This can make it difficult to explain the reasons behind not attending such socially important events. From the perspective of family, friends and colleagues it can simply appear as though the individual does not value them, leading to a deterioration in the relationship.It is for this reason that individuals with globophobia often seek the support of a psychologist.

What Causes Globophobia?

According to Brewer¹, the most common cause of globophobia is being sensitised to balloons exploding during childhood. Support for this can be found in therapeutic settings, where individuals with globophobia are often able to handle uninflated balloons with ease but become much more anxious around balloons that have been inflated. It therefore appears to be the anticipation of a balloon exploding rather than the balloon itself that is the source of the fear.

How Can Globophobia Be Treated?

Globophobia can be treated in multiple ways. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), where unhelpful thoughts patterns and behaviours are identified and modified, is often a standard form of treatment for phobias. Brewer¹ also outlines that globophobia can often be treated within an hour by drawing upon progressive exposure with response prevention. This method consists of:

Asking the individual to hold balloons, starting with uninflated balloons and very slowly increasing the level of inflation.
Partially inflating a balloon and demonstrating that it can be roughly handled without exploding.
When the individual is consistently able to handle a fully inflated balloon transitioning to balloon popping.
Begin the balloon popping with a small, barely inflated balloon at a distance from the individual.
Repeat, gradually increasing the inflation of the balloon and the proximity to the individual.
When the individual is able to tolerate a fully inflated balloon popping near them, transition to the individual popping the balloon themselves.
Encouraging the individual to continue practicing at home after succeeding in the therapy session.

Globophobia is relatively rare. However, it can have important psychological and social consequences for those who suffer with it. Fortunately, psychologists have developed treatments, such as CBT and progressive exposure therapy, that can be effective in helping individuals to overcome their fear.

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