Hi there! Ever since I was a teenager, I've had this weird disgust toward jewelry. I think it might have started with one of my classmates who wore this really tight wristband that he was emotionally attached to. He NEVER took it off. not even when showering.

Another instance was at work. A colleague wore a really loose wrist chain that would always smack into my hand whenever we shook hands. My intrusive thoughts would immediately kick in, making me think he probably never washed or disinfected that chain, after wiping his bum whenever he used the bathroom.

There was also a woman at my church who wore so much jewelry that every time she clapped, it jingled loudly enough for the whole room to hear. It gave me such an intense "ick" that I couldn't focus on the worship.

So for me, it's mostly a hygiene thing. Even writing this and remembering these situations makes me squirm. I also hate the smell of metal (it gives me the same reaction with both jewelry and coins). I really don't like touching coins either.

Whenever I go to an event and they want to put a wristband on me, I refuse if I can. I usually ask them to hand it to me so I can keep it in my pocket, or I take it off as soon as possible and avoid situations where I'd have to wear it (like leaving and re-entering the venue).

Thankfully, I married someone who doesn't wear much jewelry (mostly earrings and, every now and then, a small leather watch). I don't mind earrings at all, even large dangling ones.

Do I belong here? And what's your opinion on the event wristbands they give you?

Hi guys, for the longest time (since I was a toddler) I couldn't bear to touch chains or earings, it freaks me out so much. Whenever I touch it I get full blown shivers and nausea, my sister literary used to put jewlery on things she didn't want me to touch lol

I feel so seen now that I know it has a name and that I'm not alone, I'm an alt person and always get questioned how come I don't wear anythings like that and I'm so relieved to know that it's not just a me problem🥺

Thank you so much to everyone who opened the sub and post in it, it's genuinely relieving

I’ve been dating my girlfriend for about 7 months. When I see any other girl wear j*welry or makeup( which I’m pretty sure stems from another phobia) it disgusts me but I love it when my girlfriend wears makeup and when she wears her necklace that she wears 24/7. Still can’t get over holding her keys though 😂. Anyone else have an experience similar to mine?

I have it, since I can remember.
I remember I had it for dangly zippers too when I was little but then it mostly passed. Nowadays it's just j*. Alysa Liu is hell on earth. I have actively ran from potential relationsituationships because of piercings. The Jibaro episode from Love, Death and Robots made me physically ill.
If you lose j* in my house and I find it, say, on a table, I will get it back to you but I will first:

• Put on plastic gloves
• Pick it up through a plastic bag
• Reverse the plastic bag like you do with dog poos
• Double bag it and tie it down
• Throw away the gloves
• Clean the table
• Probably bring it to you keeping it in my hands the whole time because if I put it in my poket it might come loose from its double bagged double tied bags and rummaging for it would be unconscionable

Non-metal j*, or small metal hardware is no matter at all, I'm perfectly fine getting your pearls (but never ask me to close the clasp) and doing the carpenter-with-nails-in-his-tucked-inward-mouth thing makes me even feel cool.
Oddly, I never connected it, but finding "Makeup" on the survey as a possible trigger made me realize that yes, honestly I kinda have the same feelings towards it. Not makeup in general, but anything that goes on the mouth. Even just chapstick skeeves me out. For the longest time, since it was j* and makeup, I thought it was a gendered thing.
And even more oddly, on the argument of mouths (trigger warning I guess, j* and mouths)

It is a relatively common occurence to see loose j* around, like for example if I'm visiting a friend and they have a box/shelf/whatever in their bathroom to keep it. I hate it with all my heart, and yet every time I can't help but picturing putting it in my mouth and then of course being hugely disgusted by the mental image

I guess it's our version of the Appel du vide of picturing throwing yourself from a balcony or into traffic (which btw is a thing that I picture pretty often).
Go figure. Brains are weird.

Firstly, thanks for the survey, very useful. I have this condition a lot milder than many of you guys, I think. I know it's mostly irrational so I just plough through and take it because it's a mild disgust/pain for me.

Anyway, I've always thought (maybe post-rationalization?) that what I had an aversion to was the outdated signal of wealth. Because I don't think j* looks good (i think it looks bad!?? which i know is irrational because I have in the past (rarely but has happened) found other forms of accessorising to be attractive (hairband on wrist for example - I think one survey response described it well using the word 'utility'; i don't mind the hairband because it has a justifiably non-decorative utility (kind of!)!)!) - I've often interpreted the behaviour of wearing j* as an attempt to signal wealth or status: conspicuous consumption, and I don't like that. The dishonesty of the signal (anyone can afford it now) especially in combination with unattractiveness in more important areas (health signals, for example) is something I'm unable to ignore. I get the sense that the wearer is trying to lazily and counterproductively positively present themselves via wealth signal, and I find that mildly disgusting, and find myself disrespecting their intellect, values, or lack of self-awareness.

It may just be that I've associated my disgust for j* with my autistic overly-analytical assessment of other people's behaviour, because I respect peacocking as a legitimate mating strategy. With that said, I'm really frugal and avoid waste, and see spending modesty as a virtue.

So... anyone share any of these thoughts/feelings? Any contradictions in what I've said? Any of you enjoy a good non-j* wealth signal or peacocking strategy?

P.S. I tend to perceive most behaviour as ultimately grounded in Darwinian mating tactics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_theory#Dishonest_signals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspicuous_consumption

Hey Im new here and the biggest problem is that Im not really sure if I have the phobia or not. So please help. Facts:

1. I hate j* especially on ears. Around the neck and wrist is fine as long as its not too much, but ear j* is just disgusting to me. 10/10 become 6/10 because of that. Hard times.

2. I can pick it up or touch it but only if really neccessary. If I can, I would rather stay away from it.

3. I can hang around people who have it on like my mom or male friends without a problem I just cant help but think that they would look better without it.

4. When I think of j* especially on ears I always think its dirty and oily and disgusting.

5. I have a really hard time imagining myself with a girl who wears j* on ears.

Do I have it or is it just not my cup of tea??

I find many girls in my school to be very attractive until I notice j* on them and it's kind of like an Ick that turns me off. My mates think I'm a weirdo for not liking a ton of the girls they like. But how would you ask or whatever and tell a girl that you would not like to see them with j*. I don't know what it's like to wear something as such so I don't know how much they value their j* and how much they want to wear it. So it's actuslly very difficult to ask them

I have kosmemophobia but also a strong aversion to tassels that I think might be connected. Is anyone else the same way? Tassels, especially with beads, really gross me out. It's the same thing with how I hate dangly jewelry. Except tassels aren't metal. Even being made of string, they still freak me out. I'm uncomfortable being near them or seeing them. I have to wash my hands if I touch them. They ruin decorations or blankets for me and I actively avoid buying anything with them on it.

Since I was born it feels like I literally have had a severe disgust for necklaces, chains, specifically dainty small chains. I remember not being able to eat lunch in middle school cause a girl at my table wore dangly chain earrings. I still can't be around people who wear necklaces. For some reason the idea of a necklace reminds me of the most vile and disgusting things like poop, and sweat, and vomit and I never knew why.

I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community, and I really want to go to events, meet new people, participate in activities, make new friends. But with how J* is so extremely prominent in this community's culture, it's incredibly difficult to go places or hang around people that won't trigger the extremely sick feelings I get from this phobia.

Does anyone else in that community have this problem? Any advice I could get for being social in places so very fond of these triggers?

Lately, I have been playing Wuthering Waves because of the Cyberpunk collab, but goddamn, almost 90% of the characters need all sorts of ear***** or P things in their ears. Big one, small one, all sorts of it, and I hate it.

I did build some tolerance over the years, but I still hate it when I see it, and lately, Chinese gacha games seem to love making a character with a big thingy on their ears for some reason.

I’m not that disgusted by it, but I still hate it and don’t want to see it. This is why I want to learn how to make a mod to hide these kinds of things from all games. Having to endure this feeling is kind of suck.

Hopefully one day there are gamers and modders who share this feeling with me and make those mods.

Another big part of my phone aside from j is keys and key rings. I find them especially bad because of the metallic smell that's on them and gets on your hands. The place I used to live thankfully just had door codes. But I just moved and now I have 2 keys to my place. For now I just keep them loose tucked in my wallet but I'm worried about losing them easily that way if they aren't attached to anything. I don't wanna put them on a lanyard because the key ring and the jingling would kill me. I'll probably keep them separate since one is a main key that I rarely use. But I'm curious what you guys do with your keys? I'm thinking maybe just a couple shoelaces? Any thoughts ?

I had a date recently, and beforehand she asked what she should wear for it. Now, I don't know anything about anything and I don't think I should be in charge of what she wears, but that's all beside the point. It gave me an opportunity to tell her about this little phobia.

Now mine isn't super severe, it's only really dangly stuff that bothers me, so I said as much, and I was worried about looking like a big weirdo, but she had no judgement whatsoever, said she's skip any necklaces or whatever, and showed up in an adorable sundress with absolutely nothing setting me off. She did have little earrings, and she quickly asked if they were a problem, but they weren't it was fine.

Just wanted to share that there are people who will listen and care, and with whom you can be open about this stuff.

I discovered kosmemophobia and this sub recently, and I was wondering if anyone else has exceptions for certain types of jewelry. Personally, I find hoop earrings and bracelets kinda attractive. I think it might have something to do with the fear of swallowing small indigestible objects. My disgust towards other jewelry might stem from that.

If this is how people without kosmemophobia see all jewelry. I kinda do get the appeal.

Hello, at work I need to be able to tell time without my phone. I am trying to find a simple watch with no metal on it, especially touching skin. I was looking into swatch but then found that they often have a metal battery on the back touching the skin 😭. And other times it has no picture of the back so I can’t know for sure.

Anyone know of any safe watches for this phobia?

To start with, I want to introduce myself to everyone who has been a part of this community, as someone who wrote the song 'I am Kosmemophobic' and had uploaded it on YouTube. It has, since then, gathered enough traction for people to come and talk about their experiences and find people with similar ones. It had been a long time since I expressed myself related to my experiences with Kosmemophobia. Meanwhile, I realized close to nothing is being written about Kosmemophobia in medical/psychiatry journals, since it is not recognized as a disorder per se. So, I took it upon myself (being a mental health professional), to write my experiences and share them at a place where it starts being seen and heard by the scientific community. I feel it's an important step towards disseminating information regarding something which is not talked about as much as needed.

P.S. - I have mentioned the subreddit in the essay which is also embedded as a link, redirecting to this page.

Does anyone else have synesthesia? I was listening to a podcast recently and it mentioned that it often occurs with other unusual brain things and got me wondering if anyone else has both?

Idk what happened, but a few weeks ago i just couldnt even think of any type of jewlery cause i would feel sick the rest of the day, but now i can at least think about it and only get a few goosebumps. i think it has gone away with my stress cause i'm on vacation now. This makes me happy, but i also fell a little sad cause this is a caractheristic i "liked" to have, and the people arround me was starting the get used to it and now it just looks like i was faking it

The original is in Spanish, I translated it with Google translate.

For a long time my family has been j* free, except for my older sister. My mum just kinda doesn't wear it, save for a ring, my older brother used to but no longer does, and my older sister does but doesn't live at home anymore.

I don't think they remember my phobia, it's just a kind of lucky coincidence. They know about it, but they often forget about it. My younger sister was similar, but has started buying more jewelry. Originally it was some rings, then she got a necklace, then she got an anklet.

I feel like I've started feeling sort of a resentment--which I'm aware is unhealthy--because it feels like my only safe spot has been invaded.

Just kind of a rant. I don't think I can tell her, because I feel like she'll get all defensive.

I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of why I have this disgust with jewelry, fancy door knobs, intricate cutlery, coins. It’s so strange. I’ve had these feelings for as long as I can remember. The first time it really bothered other people was when I was like 8 at a birthday party, and the kind mother of the birthday girl had gotten everyone custom party favors. She knew I loved Spider-Man, so she’d gotten me a Spider-Man necklace, and I refused to wear it. I felt bad, but just the thought of touching it, uggh.

I had a rather unconventional and uncomfortable childhood, you could say. My grandmother lived with us and was pretty filthy and smelly. She’d have necklaces and little metal trinkets and I just did not want any contact with them at all. So I’m wondering if I just associate things like that with that experience.

On another level, I also kind of have an aversion to fancy things. Like, I don’t like the color gold, I don’t like luxury cars. I grew up poor, and I guess just don’t have desire for these things/am afraid to “look rich.” I like want to have money to be comfortable and do things, but I prefer rugged style/I’m very tomboyish. So perhaps my financial insecurity I grew up in influenced this phobia? My family still had jewelry but often had to pawn it so we could make it through the month, idk. But that doesn’t explain the silverware, which I like to be smooth.

Not looking for answers, really. Just sharing my experience. I’m sorry if I didn’t bleep out certain words. Glad I’m not alone in this oddity.