Acrophobia¶

The Fear of Heights¶

Phobic Properties¶

Acrophobia is neither the same as vertigo nor the fear of falling. Vertigo is a spinning sensation while nothing is spinning, which can be triggered by heights but also other factors. The fear of falling is one of two fears (the fear of loud noises being the other) that is believed to be congenital in all humans (or even all mammals), this is a natural reaction to heights whereas acrophobia is much more extreme and can be triggered by much lower, and safer, heights (e.g. latters, chairs, or stairs).

Acrophobia may in part stem from poor balance. Acrophobiacs rely more on visual cues when balancing whereas other people use a combination of visual cues, proprioception and the vestibular system.

Connection to Virtual Reality¶

Studies on acrophobia reveal that VR exposure is just as effective as in vivo exposure and in some instances even more effective, which may in part be due to some people saying that VR exposure evokes more fear than in vivo exposure.