fear of roller coasters
{{Short description|Phobia of roller coaster rides}}
{{Notability|date=May 2023}}
Fear of roller coasters, also known as veloxrotaphobia, is the extreme fear of roller coasters. It can also be informally referred to as coaster-phobia.{{Cite web |last=Atassi |first=Leila |date=2010-09-28 |title=Psychology students use 'exposure therapy' to conquer coaster-phobia |url=https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2010/09/psychology_students_use_exposu.html |access-date=2024-07-20 |website=cleveland.com |language=en}}
Such a fear is thought to originate from one or more of three factors: childhood trauma, fear of heights, and parental fears that “rub off” on their children.{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Katrina |date=27 August 2016 |title=I have a crippling fear of rollercoasters...so my editor put me on Leviathan |url=https://www.thestar.com/amp/life/2016/08/27/i-faced-my-fear-of-roller-coaster-rides.html |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Toronto Star}} In addition, veloxrotaphobia may be intensified by underlying fears such as claustrophobia and illygnophobia.
Incidence
The enjoyment of roller coasters has been likened to a form of benign masochism.{{Cite web |last1=Swaddle |first1=The |last2=Desai |first2=Rajvi |date=2019-11-13 |title=Benign Masochism: Why We Love Sad Movies, Roller Coasters, and Painful Massages |url=https://theswaddle.com/benign-masochism-why-we-love-sad-movies-rollercoasters-and-painful-massages/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=The Swaddle |language=en-US}} According to Rajvi Desai, "For something to be deemed benign masochism, the activity at hand needs to incite so little negative emotion as to be tolerable; if the negative emotion reaches or surpasses into intolerable, it won’t be worthy of being indulged in."{{Cite journal |last1=Rozin |first1=Paul |last2=Guillot |first2=Lily |last3=Fincher |first3=Katrina |last4=Rozin |first4=Alexander |last5=Tsukayama |first5=Eli |date=January 1, 2023 |title=Glad to be sad, and other examples of benign masochism |journal=Judgment and Decision Making |language=en |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=439–447 |doi=10.1017/S1930297500005295 |s2cid=147602127 |issn=1930-2975|doi-access=free }} However, for those with veloxrotaphobia, roller coasters release high doses of the stress hormone cortisol,{{Cite web |last1=Swaddle |first1=The |last2=Rakshit |first2=Devrupa |date=2020-06-15 |title=Is This Normal? "I Hate Roller Coasters" |url=https://theswaddle.com/is-this-normal-i-hate-roller-coasters/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=The Swaddle |language=en-US}} which may cause elevated heart rate, sweating, feeling faint, uncontrollable shaking, trembling, and tingling, fast breathing, and chest pain.{{Cite web |date=2021-01-26 |title=Fear of being on a roller coaster (branch of ochophobia). Veloxrotaphobia - FearOf.org |url=https://fearof.org/veloxrotaphobia/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |language=en-US}}
It is estimated that about five percent of the world’s population suffers from an extreme fear of heights,{{Cite journal |last1=Misiewicz |first1=Z. |last2=Hiekkalinna |first2=T. |last3=Paunio |first3=T. |last4=Varilo |first4=T. |last5=Terwilliger |first5=J. D. |last6=Partonen |first6=T. |last7=Hovatta |first7=I. |author-link7=Iiris Hovatta |date=December 20, 2016 |title=A genome-wide screen for acrophobia susceptibility loci in a Finnish isolate |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=6 |page=39345 |bibcode=2016NatSR...639345M |doi=10.1038/srep39345 |pmc=5171840 |pmid=27996024}} however, no exact data has been published on what percent of people are afraid of roller coasters.
It is believed that individuals with lower natural levels of dopamine are more prone to being fearful of roller coasters.{{Cite journal |last=Norbury |first=Agnes |title=Dopamine Regulates Approach-Avoidance in Human Sensation-Seeking |url=https://www.academic.oup.com/ijnp/article/18/10/pyv041/623632 |access-date=2023-05-19 |journal=The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology|date=2015 |volume=18 |issue=10 |pages=pyv041 |doi=10.1093/ijnp/pyv041 |pmid=25857822 |pmc=4648156 }}
Remedies
The fear of roller coasters is a relatively common fear. It can be treated effectively through exposure therapy, in which the subject learns to disassociate roller coasters with the unlikely possibility of danger.{{Cite web |date=2012-05-23 |title=Legoland creates program to help those with veloxrotaphobia (fear of roller coasters) |url=https://attractionsmagazine.com/legoland-florida-creates-program-to-help-parents-of-first-time-coaster-riders/ |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Attractions Magazine |language=en-US}} The use of virtual reality headsets in providing a remedy for those with the fear has also been suggested.{{Cite web |last=Brukman |first=Jesse |date=2013-08-02 |title=5 Phobias We Could Cure With The "Oculus Rift" Virtual Reality Headset |url=https://www.maxim.com/gear/5-phobias-we-could-cure-oculus-rift-virtual-reality-headset/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Maxim |language=en-US}}
Riders are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with statistics on roller coaster safety. For example, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, there is a 1 in 750 million chance of suffering a fatal injury on a fixed-location roller coaster.{{Cite web |last=McNicoll |first=Arion |date=31 May 2019 |title=How safe are rollercoasters? |url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/101520/how-safe-are-rollercoasters |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=The Week UK |language=en}}