On the Fear of Metal Objects, or, Pavlovian Conditioning

We learned about Pavlov and his dogs last year in psychology. We learned about them again in Neuroscience this term. I've learned about it personally the last few months.

This past term, I've developed two fears:
1. Touching metal objects
2. Toilet flushes

Plain metal objects (door handles, sink faucets, etc.) are usually not something to be feared. Indeed, with the exception of last winter, I was not afraid of these seemingly innocuous objects. Over the summer, I forgot about the fears from last winter (extinction, yay!). I went along happily, touching whatever metal I might please. But then, suddenly, one day, there was the static electricity.

Since the air has dried out with winter's arrival, I've been finding myself shocked by everything. Fleece jackets and polyester pajamas do little to improve the problem. I find myself pausing when waiting to hit the elevator button and flinching when I come across door handles. To avoid shocking my index fingers (more nerves = more pain) I've started touching all metal objects with my elbow or the back of my hands first.

Suddenly, I look like I have a serious case of OCD.

The second thing is toilets. After I moved to my new room, I started using the bathroom on this side of the hallway. I don't know why it's necessary, but the toilet flush is Incredibly Loud. I mean it. It's loud enough to startle you if you aren't expecting it and it actually causes physical discomfort. I know people who don't use that bathroom at all because of the fact that the toilets are way too loud. Being a lazy sack of potatoes, I'll take the volume over the +10 ft walk to the other restroom. But as a result, I find myself plugging my ears whenever I flush the toilet and wincing. Fortunately, there's no one to see the crazy for this one.

I suppose I could stop flushing the toilet altogether, but then I wouldn't be flushing the toilet, and that's just gross. And I'm not gross--well, at least not that gross, anyway.