Cabin fever
Encyclopedia
Cabin fever is an idiom
atic term for a claustrophobic
reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do, for an extended period (as in a simple country vacation cottage during a long rain or snow). Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, paranoia, irrational frustration with everyday objects, forgetfulness, laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside even in the rain, snow or dark.
The phrase is also used humorously to indicate simple boredom from being home alone. The term was first recorded in 1918. Other references have the term in use at least to 1906.
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
atic term for a claustrophobic
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do, for an extended period (as in a simple country vacation cottage during a long rain or snow). Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, paranoia, irrational frustration with everyday objects, forgetfulness, laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside even in the rain, snow or dark.
The phrase is also used humorously to indicate simple boredom from being home alone. The term was first recorded in 1918. Other references have the term in use at least to 1906.
Proposed therapy for cabin fever
One therapy for cabin fever may be as simple as getting out and interacting with nature. Research has proven that even brief interactions with nature can promote improved cognitive functioning and overall well-being.In popular culture
- On an episode of MythBustersMythBustersMythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
, the hosts test the myth of cabin fever, isolating themselves for a period of time in the AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
n winter while being observed and taking cognitive and stress tests. The test results were unusable due to incorrect testing procedures; however, one host, Adam SavageAdam SavageAdam Whitney Savage is an American industrial design and special effects designer/fabricator, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters. His model work has appeared in major films, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and The Matrix...
, exhibited all four of the symptoms of cabin fever they were looking for, while the other, Jamie HynemanJamie HynemanJames Franklin "Jamie" Hyneman is an American special effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the owner of M5 Industries, the special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed...
, only exhibited one (excessive sleep). They deemed the myth "plausible". - Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's novel The ShiningThe Shining (novel)The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The title was inspired by the John Lennon song "Instant Karma!", which contained the line "We all shine on…". It was King's third published novel, and first hardback bestseller, and the success of the book firmly established King...
(and its film adaptationThe Shining (film)The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
) involves cabin fever. The plot follows a family of three trapped in an isolated resort in the dead of winter. Cabin fever stories may also involve a person or group of people on a deserted island or on a long space voyageHuman spaceflightHuman spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
. - A 2002 horror film with the same name is named for the phenomenon. The film is about a group of college students, vacationing in an isolated cabin in the woods, who become infected with a mysterious disease. Actual cabin fever sets in among the group as they begin to contract the gruesome disease, one by one.
- In the video game Combat Arms (video game), Cabin Fever is a selectable mode in which the player and 7 (or less) other players are trapped in a cabin, trying to battle hordes of the undead.
- In an episode of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
(Season 8 Episode 12: Mountain of MadnessMountain of Madness"Mountain of Madness" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons eighth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 2, 1997. In the episode, Mr. Burns tries to encourage more teamwork among his employees and forces the workers of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to go...
), Homer and Mr. Burns get trapped in a cabin by an avalanche. They start suspecting each other of wanting to murder one another, and eventually go into an all-out brawl before being saved by a freak propane explosion. - A Mixtape by rapper Wiz Khalifa
- In Muppet Treasure IslandMuppet Treasure IslandMuppet Treasure Island is a 1996 American musical film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is the fifth feature film to star The Muppets and was directed by Jim Henson's son Brian Henson....
, after spending weeks at sea with no breeze to move the ship, most of the crew begin to develop cabin fever; then spontaneously burst into the musical number "Cabin Fever" where they sing of how the madness is affecting themselves. - An episode of Lost in season 4 is titled "Cabin Fever", having to do with a literal cabin (Jacob's).
- In aDiary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy KidDiary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a middle-school child named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. Greg also had problems with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. The books focuses...
book, Greg Heffley and his family are stuck inside his house during a snowstorm and Greg starts to develop cabin fever.