Gerascophobia

Gerascophobia is an abnormal or incessant fear of growing older or ageing (senescence).

Background

Gerascophobia is a clinical phobia generally classified under specific phobias or fears of a single specific panic trigger. Gerascophobia may be based on anxieties of being left alone without resources and incapable of caring for oneself due to age-caused disability.

Due to humans being mortality salient, sufferers will often feel as though aging is the first sign that their immune systems are starting to weaken, making them more vulnerable and prone to diseases. They view aging as a human flaw and as a form of self-obliteration, rather than as a natural progression in life.

Symptoms

Some sufferers are more likely to seek plastic surgery to cut and stretch wrinkles to make them look more youthful while the main concern of many other sufferers is the internal, biological long-term damage caused by the aging process.

Etymology

The term gerascophobia comes from the Greek γηράσκω, gerasko, "I grow old" and φόβος, phobos, "fear". Some authors refer to it as gerontophobia, although this may also refer to the fear of the elderly due to memento mori.

See also

• Gerontophobia
• Fountain of Youth
• Thanatophobia
• List of phobias
• Mid-life crisis
• Nihilism
• Altruism
• Existential crisis

External links

Videos

• Video by science channel Veritasium (Derek Müller):
  • “Our Greatest Delusion” (2015-08-18)
  • “How Long Will You Live?” (2015-11-25).
• “Becoming immortal - VPRO documentary - 2018” (2018-03-04)
• “The End Of Ageing (Medical Documentary) - Real Stories” (2017-11-10)
• BBC News documentary movie: “Can ageing be delayed, stopped or even reversed? BBC News” (2018-02-11)
• “How we can finally win the fight against aging | Aubrey De Grey | TEDxMünchen” (2017-01-11)
• How People Disappear by vSauce (Michael Stevens) (2013-09-25)
• Why don't we all have cancer by vSauce (2014-05-19).
• CGP Grey: “Why Die?”
• Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell:
  • Why Age? Should We End Aging Forever? (2017-10-20)
  • How to Cure Aging – During Your Lifetime? (2017-11-03)
  • A Selfish Argument for Making the World a Better Place – Egoistic Altruism (2018-03-18)
  • Optimistic Nihilism (2017-07-26)