Balloon phobia or globophobia is a fear of balloons. The most common source of fear is the sound of balloons popping (making it a form of phonophobia), but individuals can also be triggered by their texture and smell. Generally, people with globophobia will refuse to touch, feel, smell, or go near a balloon for fear it will burst.

Globophobia originates from the Latin word globus meaning sphere and the Greek word phóbos which translates to fear.

Indications that someone suffers from globophobia include:

Globophobia has numerous symptoms, and most of them overlap with anxiety. Some symptoms of globophobia are:

Globophobia can be the result of a negative or traumatic experience with balloons, negative depictions of balloons, or a traumatic event somehow connected to balloons. For example, a loud noise could sound similar to a balloon popping. These negative experiences usually occur during childhood, and globophobia is most prevalent among young children.

Other factors that can increase the likelihood of someone developing Globophobia include:

Response prevention is a type of exposure therapy. When dealing with patients with globophobia, a doctor roughly handles a barely inflated balloon in the presence of a patient. The patient will eventually hold the balloon themself to understand that it is not full enough to pop. The balloon will then gradually become more inflated, and once it is filled enough to pop, squeaky noises should be intentionally produced by the balloon. The patients are expected to be frightened by this action, so they should stand a great distance from the balloon and gradually move closer once they feel more comfortable. The same process of patients moving closer to the balloon should be followed except the balloon will pop this time. This practice aims to assure people with globophobia that the noises balloons make are not harmful. Patients are expected to not be as tense and apprehensive around balloons and the sounds they produce following exposure therapy.

This form of exposure therapy was performed on a college-aged student with globophobia. Before the experiment, the unnamed male reports that he tries to avoid balloons at all costs due to the great amount of distress they place on him. He claims that he cannot be any less than four feet away from a balloon without feeling intense fear. The experiment is conducted over the course of three days and involves the subject being surrounded by hundreds of balloons that are simultaneously popping. The researchers found no clear signs of emotional distress of the man but noted him attempting to avoid the popping balloons. Following the experiment's conclusion, the subject states that he does not attempt to avoid situations that may involve balloons anymore. He has also reported that no additional balloon-related problems have intervened with his daily life.