Miley Cyrus doesn’t like paper. In fact, she’s actually afraid of it.
During her Dec. 4 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Cyrus had a tangential conversation with the late-night host about her major phobia of paper. The Something Beautiful singer recently got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, musician Maxx Morando, which Kimmel congratulated her on. Kimmel jokingly told Cyrus that had Morando waited a couple of weeks to propose, he wouldn’t need to get the pop star a Christmas present — the present would be the engagement ring.
It was at this point that the “End of the World” singer revealed that she’s “a little bit of a grinch” when it comes to celebrating the holidays.
“I hate paper,” she said, before glancing at the notes on Kimmel’s desk. “Like, looking at that makes me want to vomit. … The real problem for me with paper is when people have dry hands, and they touch paper, and then it’s Christmas, and it’s cold, and everyone’s hands are dry, and they’re all touching paper.”
Cyrus told Kimmel that her fear of paper is why she prefers doing things digitally, such as texting, emailing, talking on the phone and reading books on her Kindle.
“It’s a phobia, and I need help,” Cyrus added, before telling Kimmel that there are types of papers she can tolerate, like rolling papers and waxed paper. “It’s getting worse, and so there does need to be some sort of intervention, and I am going to look into some sort of EMDR [eye movement and desensitization and reprocessing], being hypnotized about it, because it is affecting my everyday life.”
An illogical fear of paper, also known by the clinical name papyrophobia, causes one to panic when they see, touch or write on the material. Women are often more likely than men to develop papyrophobia, per the Cleveland Clinic, and the condition is recognized as a specific phobia. Generally developed before the age of 10, specific phobias affect between 8% and 12% of people in the U.S.

Cyrus’s fear of paper dates back to when she was a young girl. She told Kimmel that she and her family would often drive 14 hours from Nashville to Toronto, and that it was during these road trips that Cyrus’s brothers would rub paper together in the backseat to “really torture” her.
While treatment for papyrophobia varies, methods include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), hypnotherapy and anti-anxiety medications.
“The cardboard is the worst of it all,” Cyrus said of receiving packages at home. “It’s extra dry, and there’s packaging within it. So, I go outside. That’s the best part. That’s really why I got engaged, just ‘cause I make my fiancé open all the packages outside.”

When Kimmel asked Cyrus whether she’d be able to sign the marriage certificate when she and Morando eventually tie the knot, the Hannah Montana star, who was previously married to actor Liam Hemsworth, said she remembered that particular paper as having a smoother, waxier texture.
“Anything that’s got a smooth surface, that’s better. And from the last marriage, I think I remember that the paper is waxed,” Cyrus said, to which Kimmel replied, “It’s not waxed.”
But the holiday season isn’t a total loss for Cyrus. The “Dream As One” hitmaker still enjoys receiving gifts — so long as they’re wrapped in silk.
“I love stockings, and anything that I want is usually pretty small, and it can fit perfectly fine within a silk stocking. No paper,” she said. “I prefer silk. No dryness.”
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