The Causes And Effects Of 'Alexinomia'—The Fear Of Saying Someone's Name

The ever-expanding list of bizarre fears has just grown to include 'alexinomia.' Here's what it is, and the peril it causes.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | May 14, 2024

"Alexinomia," Greek for "no words for names," is a lesser-known phobia that refers to the inability or paralyzing fear of using others' names in conversation, despite knowing them and wanting to use them.

Individuals with this fear may be unable to say the names or even nicknames of their closest friends and loved ones. This fear can significantly impact social interactions, interpersonal relationships and professional opportunities in their lives.

For such individuals, seemingly routine social interactions become daunting challenges. For instance, when attending a networking event or social gathering, alexinomia may hinder their ability to initiate conversations or maintain rapport. In professional settings, it can pose additional hurdles, particularly in situations where addressing colleagues or clients by their names is customary or expected.

A 2023 study published in Frontiers In Psychology examined the potential causes, effects and symptoms of this phenomenon.

"It has always been like that, as long as I can remember. I couldn't address others with their names and it took extreme efforts to try. I became really conscious of it, when I met my husband. I wanted to address him by name but I could not do it. That's when I realized that it's a problem. I always say "you" or "hey," things like that," explains one participant from the study.

Here are the primary symptoms of alexinomia and their psychological consequences in interpersonal relationships, based on the 2023 study.

Symptoms And Effects Of Alexinomia

Researchers found that those affected by alexinomia tend to exhibit the following symptoms:

Psychological distress. Alexinomia often involves high levels of psychological distress, negative self-perceptions, fear, anxiety, shame, regret and embarrassment in situations requiring name-use.
Avoidance behaviors. This fear makes individuals avoid triggering situations, which leads to impaired social interactions. They try their best to keep their fear hidden, which can mean avoiding conversations and people, despite wanting to connect with them.
Compensatory strategies. To hide or compensate for their fear, individuals with alexinomia may describe a person by their social role when talking about them or label them by their physical characteristics, such as their hair or usual clothing choices. "I always say 'I was walking with my neighbor' or 'I meet with my fellow student.' I wouldn't say their first names," explains another participant. Some participants also reported feeling safer writing out others' names in emails or texts instead.

"It feels almost a bit like the beginning of a panic attack. Like loss of control and nervousness, agitation, a feeling of discomfort, an 'I'm about to be the center of attention' feeling or like when you have to give a lecture, like stage fright, really extremely uncomfortable and scary. It's insecurity," says one participant, describing their symptoms.

Researchers found that for many participants, the symptoms of alexinomia are often heightened by the closeness of the relationship. Symptoms are also more severe if the name in question is unusual, difficult to pronounce or considered particularly beautiful, as this exacerbates fears of saying it out loud and getting it wrong.

"Instead of saying a name, affected individuals rely on physical touch, presence or eye contact when initiating a conversation or completely avoid situations requiring the use of names. This can lead to psychological strain given the propensity for self-doubt, feelings of awkwardness and inferiority," the researchers write.

Potential Causes Of Alexinomia

While the exact causes are still relatively unknown, researchers of the 2023 study and another study published in Acta Psychologica in 2024 found that this fear is strongly associated with the following:

Social anxiety. Alexinomia is associated with social anxiety or a general fear of judgment or rejection in social settings. Individuals with alexinomia may feel especially nervous or self-conscious using names in social interactions and worry about how others perceive them. Social anxiety in turn is associated with interpersonal strain.
Insecure attachment styles. Insecure attachment styles, stemming from inconsistent caregiving in early life, exacerbate alexinomia. Many participants displayed attachment anxiety as well as avoidance, struggling with feelings of insecurity and mistrust about the availability and responsiveness of others. Even though they feel overwhelmed by it, they long for emotional closeness with another person— which, to them, relates to using their name, which they cannot do.
Early life experiences. Researchers suggest that alexinomia usually begins in childhood or adolescence and persists if untreated. Challenging childhood experiences such as being bullied in school, frequently moving locations, facing unstable family situations including violence, trauma and neglect, divorce or a history of mental illness in the family can contribute to alexinomia.
Fear of vulnerability. Individuals with alexinomia can struggle with emotional openness, expressing love and intimacy and with regulating their emotions. For some, using first names often feels too close and personal to do, as though it would reveal their true emotions to another person and for others, it feels too impersonal to do, as though it might create unwanted distance between them. Both interpretations can feel emotionally unbearable.
Feelings of inferiority. Alexinomia is often intensified in the presence of authority figures or anyone considered superior to the affected person. "At school it was sometimes unpleasant to address teachers by name, especially those who were very authoritarian," explains one participant. "I can't just say their name to get their attention. It's like I feel unworthy," explains another participant, highlighting the role of low self-esteem in this fear.

Using personal names fosters a sense of intimacy, recognition and respect in interpersonal interactions. It can convey attentiveness and genuine interest in the other person, facilitating meaningful communication and fostering positive relationships.

However, as a result of alexinomia, people interacting with such individuals may find their behavior rude, disrespectful, impersonal or uncaring when the reality is that individuals with alexinomia can and do love, care about and respect other people deeply.

Alexinomia represents a unique and often overlooked phobia that can significantly impact a person. Researchers of the 2024 study suggest that this fear can be overcome with time, practice and professional support.

Through talk therapy and gradual exposure to situations involving name-use, individuals can eventually learn to desensitize their fear responses and develop coping strategies to navigate social interactions more confidently.

Heightened anxiety is a common precursor and symptom of irrational fears like alexinomia. Take the Anxiety Sensitivity Test to know if you need support.

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.