What is Aphenphosmphobia in Death Stranding?

Death Stranding is out, and people all over the world are doing their best to deliver goods and not get dragged into the dark depths by BTs. The main character, Sam Porter Bridges, is an interesting guy in the world of Death Stranding. Not only can his bodily fluids be turned into weapons, but he's also sort of tuned in to BT's presence and the bizarre chiral network event. On top of that, he suffers from Aphenphosmphobia. In this guide, we will talk about what exactly Aphenphosmphobia is.

What is Aphenphosmphobia in Death Stranding?

Aphenphosmphobia is a fear, or phobia, of being touched. People who have it find it very difficult to tolerate physical contact with other people. It is a rare psychological condition, believed to result from differences in brain chemistry and sometimes from trauma. This is a real condition and was not invented just for the game.

Symptoms include panic, heart palpitations, dizziness, dissociation, and even full-blown panic attacks. People with the disease can also have serious consequences on their social life and physical health problems due to their inability to function normally.

In Death Stranding, Sam's condition is well known and is represented at the start of the match by his refusal to shake hands with people. Even when wearing gloves, he still doesn't like contact with another human being. It's a bit heavy, as is often the case with Kojima games. Nonetheless, there is an established dichotomy as far as Sam, who suffers from Aphenphosmphobia, is the person chosen to attempt to connect the old United States.

What's interesting is that during times of separation or imagination in his head, Sam seems to be able to imagine touching people. That's as far as we'll go here, however, for fear of spoilers.

If you were wondering if Aphenphosmphobia is a real condition, the answer is yes. It's something a small number of people in the population have to experience every day, and not something that is exclusive to Sam Porter Bridges in Standing Dead.